Today as I left the gym after an extremely intense workout, I
thought about quitting. Do I really need to lose that extra twenty pounds? What
if I hurt myself? Wouldn't I feel stupid then? And who really can say that
exercise improves the length and quality of a life? (almost every doctor) Heck,
I've quit the gym before, I can do it again. But I'm not going to quit. Not
this time.
That decided, I thought about the other times I'd quit something.
Violin lessons, girl scouts, smoking (okay, that was a good thing to quit),
golf lessons, roller skating lessons, ballet, tap, summer camp, the list goes
on. And yet, when I reached the ripe young age of forty-five, I started
writing. and now, almost thirty books later, I'm still at it. Why? Why did I
quit so many activities and stick with writing? Was it because writing offered
me an easy path to fame and fortune? Heck no. I still have questionable fame
and minimal fortune. Was it because I was "discovered" almost
immediately and given a six-book contract? Heck no. I struggled, was rejected,
was depressed, and soon after, back to writing. The poster child for
"glutton for punishment."
So what makes us stick with something on the chance that we will
eventually grab the golden ring? As we age, I think it's passion. We used to
have passion. Maybe it didn't last, but when we had it, it was good. As we grow
older, I believe we want passion again. Not the kind you read about in a
romance novel, (though that would be good, too) but passion for life and doing
what we love. So I probably will never quit writing until the words quit me. My
passion is just that strong. As for the gym? I guess I'm passionate about
seeing the needle on the scales drop another pound, so I'll stick with it too.
What are you passionate about? What have you quit in your life
because the passion just wasn't there?
Keep at it, everyone. If the passion fails, stubbornness takes
over.
Cynthia
A great post, and I think you're right on with the passion. I'm a quitter, too, but not on the things I'm passionate about (see yesterday's post ).
ReplyDeleteMy first passion was a deep desire to go to college, something no one in my family had ever completed. I did it, knocking down every barrier that got in my way. Good luck at losing those pounds. Even if they don’t disappear, you’ll probably be healthier for it.
ReplyDeleteExactly Marion. It's hard to argue about the healthier part. I was first to go to college in my family too. My mother used to talk about my ten thousand dollar brain. That's all college cost in those days.
DeleteCynthia, I think I walk every day in spite of increasingly creaky joints because I have a desire to stay healthy for the length of my life whatever that is. I applaud you for joining a gym. I tried once and quit that. Are you by chance a Gemini? I am, and as I flit from thing to thing, I blame it on that.
ReplyDeleteNO Roz, not a Gemini. I don't know if being a Leo has anything to do with sticking to projects.
DeleteI'm passionate about exercise, but that doesn't mean I'm a fanatic or have a model body. I'm passionate about food and coffee with milk and sugar. Things I didn't stick with were mostly things that were fads or I only did because my friends did - piano, running, being a meticulous gardener
ReplyDeleteI once wrote a proposal for a book called "A Quiet Passion." It was rejected because my editor said the notion was confusing - a passion is a big, noisy thing that's impossible to be quiet about. But that's how I feel every morning about my husband, our family, our home, our dog, our cats, our neighbors, our river, and on and on. I'm into my life with a deep, burning but curiously serene dedication to every moment and when life is finally taken from me I'll be like the Terrier that can't let go and has to be pried away from its prize. I quit everything that's hard, but sometimes I think better of it and go back, sometimes not.
ReplyDeleteThese are all fine things to be passionate about, Muriel.
DeleteI'm passionate about a lot of things...knitting, pottery, exercise, writing...but the only two I do day in and day out are writing and my morning exercise program. The writing because I love it and continue to have the passion to sit at a computer hours. The exercise program because I'm trying to avoid knee and shoulder surgery and so far it's working! Six months ago I was looking at double knee replacements but no longer!
ReplyDeleteI think we stay connected to something we get rewards from. Writing gives me a reward like nothing else, even on my worst day. And no surgery is the other reward! :-) Great post!
Deletegood for you avoiding that surgery, Patricia. Keep at it. Remember, when passion ends, stubbornness takes over!
Beautifully put, Cynthia. And thanks for the reminder to follow Winston Churchill's advice and never, never, never quit. :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautifully put, Cynthia. And thanks for the reminder to follow Winston Churchill's advice and never, never, never quit. :-)
ReplyDeleteI quit going to the gym because I'm never passionate about exercising. I joined the gym several times over the years but when I finally realized that I would never be happy about dressing and driving to a place I didn't look forward to, I gave it up. Now I exercise in the comfort of my own home where nobody can see me wince from the agony of arthritic hips and so forth. I stick with it because I know I should. I guess I've quit many things in my lifetime....oh, I just thought of one: a low carb diet!! I just can't eliminate all bread, rice, sugar, etc. I lose weight when I do, but I guess I'm passionate, like Melinda above, about certain foods. I hope the exercise will counteract my indulgences. I'm passionate about learning new things. I love learning and growing. And I'm passionate about reading Heartwarming books because they are a refreshing escape from life's challenges and I can count on them, and their amazing authors, to uplift me. Thank you all. This reader appreciates all that you do.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice thing to say, Laurie. We love and appreciate your passion.
DeleteWhat a nice thing to say, Laurie. We love and appreciate your passion.
DeleteSadly, exercise has an unfortunate effect on me. It makes me whine. I do it, but it makes me whine.
ReplyDeleteLOL Patricia. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI'm passionate about nature, animals and gardening...so I have to sneak exercise into all of that. If I don't know I'm doing it...;)
ReplyDelete