Growing up I was told that quitters never win. Don’t be a quitter, and finish what you’ve started. I find this to be solid advice, and most of the time it holds true. However, as with most things in life there are some exceptions.
I believe there is a difference between quitting something because it’s hard, and quitting something because it doesn’t feel right. Sometimes that line is very hazy, and you may have to tough it out for a while before making a decision.
I’ve gotten quite comfortable with the rolling hills that life throws my way, and at times wonder if I’ve gotten too comfortable. It’s taken me a month to come to terms with what I’m about to say, but I’m ready to talk about it.
I quit school. Again. Sort of.
Once upon a midnight summer I was going to school for dental hygiene. Decided it wasn’t right, so I stopped. Then, last summer I started to take classes in preparation for a nutrition program through a holistic health college that was on par with my hippie dippie beliefs about food and living a natural life.
It seemed perfect, until it wasn’t. 
Some of you may remember this post I wrote about chemistry, and how it destroyed my life brought me lots of anxiety. When preparing to take the second round of it, I had no motivation. Instead of studying equilibrium’s and heat of vaporization I had something else on my mind, coming out for air once every…5 minutes.
I work for an awesome company. I don’t know if you’ve heard of them, a coffee company that originated in my home state called Starbucks. Anyone? Well, they recently started offering (nearly) 100% tuition reimbursement for degrees through Arizona State University. Initially I wasn’t interested, but then I explored the options.
“The world is my oyster with free education.”
I’ve spent the last month ironing out all the details and have decided to pursue a BS in nutrition communications through ASU. Does this mean my road to hippie town holistic college in Seattle is closed? No, it just means now is not the right time.
The best part about this is that all the science credits I’ve taken over the past (many, many) years have transferred and I’m over halfway done with the degree. Unless I decide to study business, then I’m really in for a wild ride.
So what will this do for my future? I have no idea. I love to write, I love nutrition, and I love talking about both. Perhaps this will be a catalyst into a future of preaching to the world about nutrition, perhaps it will simply satisfy my ongoing desire for a bachelors degree, or perhaps it’s a stepping stone to something else.
Only time will tell.
What I do know is that my previous path didn’t feel right, and I’ve learned to listen to the voices in my head and the gremlins in my gut. Or at least I think I’ve learned. I believe that sometimes quitting is OK, and sometimes it’s the right thing to do.
The photos in this post are from a hike I embarked on last week, a hike I did not complete. The skies turned grey, the fog rolled in, and the snow started to fall. All of these were recipes for disaster and I DID NOT WANT this to happen again. Live and learn. Zero visibility meant it was time to turn around.
It’s OK to “quit” a hike and not summit every time…I suppose. 😉
Q: Do you ever struggle with the fine line of quitting?
