How to Stop Quitting and Start Winning

Having the heart of a winner is not enough. You need a plan and the discipline to follow it if you want to keep advancing up the ladder of success. When you’re losing, quitting feels like the safest option. When you’re struggling and everything seems to be going wrong, it’s easy to let fear take control.

But what appears at first glance to be a fail-safe exit strategy soon reveals itself as a dead end. That’s because giving up on something that matters so much leaves us with nothing, not even the strength to start over again another day. Winners continue playing even when things get tough because they know that quitting is an unacceptable response to failure and defeat.

Here are four ways you can stop being such a quitter:

Change Your Belief About Loss

Winners adjust their thinking to accept that losing is a natural part of the process. To them, a loss is not a reason to stop, it’s an opportunity to start again. For example, if you’ve applied for a job but haven’t heard back, you could see this as a sign that you’re not good enough for the position. Or you could look at it as an opportunity to find a better way of applying for jobs or even try a different company. Whether you win or lose, your response to each outcome can make the difference between success and failure.

The difference is all in what you tell yourself. The next time you face a setback, instead of telling yourself that you should have done better and that you’re not good enough, remind yourself that this is part of the process and that you will learn from it. Even though you may not be able to control what happens to you, you can always control your reaction. Keep this in mind if you want to stop being such a quitter.

Commit to Continuous Learning

Winners never stop learning. They always want to know more, do more, and be more. Even if you already have years of experience in what you do, this is not a sign that you’re too old to grow and improve. It’s the older you get that you need to learn more and challenge yourself to stay relevant and employable. Learning new things keeps your brain active and healthy and improves your problem-solving skills.

You probably don’t have to go back to school to commit to continuous learning. Read a book, watch a documentary, attend a webinar or even mentor someone in your field. Or have a conversation with someone in totally different industry as a way to learn from their experience. And also you can take on a side hustle that pushes you out of your comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory.

Set Actionable Goals

Goals are a powerful way to focus your attention on what you want and need to achieve. A goal is a dream with a deadline. It’s a direction you’re moving toward, even if you don’t know exactly how you’ll get there. Having the right goals can help you stay focused on what’s important.

A goal can be as simple as “I want to get better at public speaking” or as complex as “I want to own a business.” It can be short-term or long-term, as long as it’s specific and you have a plan for achieving it. A goal helps you to stop being a quitter when things get tough because it gives you something to work toward.

Don’t Be Afraid of Mistakes

Mistakes are natural and part of the growth process. They happen, even to the best of us. Mistakes are also an essential part of the learning process. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough and you’re not likely to ever reach your goals. And it’s not just about making mistakes in your work.

It’s about your relationships, your health, and your finances, too. When you make a mistake, you can use it as an opportunity to grow and become a better person. You can learn how to prevent the same mistake from happening again. Mistakes can be scary, but they’re also normal and completely manageable as long as you don’t let them stop you from moving forward.

The only way to stop being such a quitter is to stop letting fear control your actions. Every time you need to make a decision, ask yourself this question: “What is the worst that can happen if I try this?” If the worst-case scenario is that you make a mistake and learn from it, then you need to tell your fear to shut up and get out of your way because you’re not quitting today. That’s because when you’re the kind of person who never gives up, the only person you’re quitting on is yourself.