I quit! (and that's ok)

I’ve quit doing a number of things over the past year: writing my original blog (see previous post here), attending a long-standing Zoom call with friends, and working on a Series 65 investment advisor course are just a few that come to mind. I’ve also thought about quitting some other things, like the once weekly wine educator “fun job” I’ve done at a tasting room for more that two years. And if I extend the timeline to the last nearly three years since the “big quit” of leaving my career behind, there are many more hobbies and interests I’ve left behind - and I’m increasingly ok with that!

I’ve been attending an online drawing course at our local community college for about a month. It’s been…ok. Some of the assignments have been fun, while others not so much. The format isn’t great and the teacher is a bit quirky and though well meaning, can be hard to follow. That feels like a waste of my time if I’m being honest. But most importantly, the fact that both the online sessions and the homework assignments are strictly scheduled? I’ve decided that is a capital P, problem for me.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned since leaving my biotech career behind, I truly appreciate the time freedom I gained via early retirement. Barring family commitments that of course I need to (and mostly want to) address, I own my calendar. All of the scheduled meetings, project deadlines, business travel, etc. have been out of my life for nearly three years. And ever since, I’ve become rather greedy about how my time is allocated. Admittedly, at times that’s been an issue for me and others in my life, but I think most of that is behind me now.

So today I dropped the class. I’d been thinking about it for more than a week, and finally did it. I quit. And this is ok! Sure, I’m “out” a bit of money for the class and materials. But I’m not gonna fall prey to the sunk cost fallacy. My time is worth more than the expense of those two things. What I’ve realized over the last few years is that starting things is just part of the exploration that defines this next phase of my life. And just because I start something doesn’t mean I need to finish it. Everything I experience and learn on these journeys, whether they are lengthy or brief, is valuable. Some things I may even pick up again at a later date. If so, great! But others will surely be left behind and that’s ok too.

This is the freedom I bought - freedom to try things as well as the freedom to quit.

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This is the first post I’ve written in quite some time. I have no idea if I’ll keep it up in all honesty. Today just felt like a great time to write for some reason. This is among the fastest posts I’ve written, and it was fun for me. I moved to substack for a more casual style and I hope this format resonates with anyone who reads it.

Please note that if you were a subscriber to my old blog, I’ve sent this post from the new site to you as well. Please don’t hesitate to unsubscribe if it doesn’t fit your interests. It’s ok to quit me too! Mahalo 🙏

Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash