Don’t be a chronic quitter.
That was me.
I remember back in 2016, during Instagram's best years, coming up with idea after idea of products to launch and sell online.
The list ranged from making:
digital planners
coloring books
e-books
illustration templates
and the list goes on
But nothing ever stuck because I was constantly quitting before I gave anything a chance to take off.
I made a few sales from my digital planners, but only a little trickle in here and there.
Still, I took that as a loss and would constantly compare myself to other small businesses online, which inevitably led me into this cycle of chronic quitting.
“oh, that’s what you’re doing now?” a friend or family would ask.
Nobody believed in me anymore.
Of course, I didn’t need them to believe in me, nor do you. The main thing is you need to believe in yourself. And that’s what I was lacking.
There was always a strong inner voice in me that would lead me to self-destruct.
In hindsight, now we’re in 2024. 2025 is well on its way here. And if only I had been consistent in one thing since 2016, who knows where my small business would have been now?
But now I can’t know. And I never will know. The only sure thing was that I quit. And I saw the results, which amounted to nothing, obviously.
I was always led back to square one.
So here I am again, but this time, my main goal, more than anything else, is not to quit. That’s the surefire way to success.
Most people quit when things get hard. Some quit out of boredom or loss of interest, but few get through the tough times.
You have to learn what it is that makes you quit. What is it in you that pushes you in that direction?
Yes, the internet is more crowded and saturated than ever before, but don’t let that be another excuse or reason not to put yourself and your content out there. There’s always an audience for everyone.
With that in mind, the best advice I can give from a (hopefully) former chronic quitter:
Don’t compare yourself to others. Comparison is the theft of joy.
Constantly learn from others who have done it and succeeded. But again, don’t compare your journey to theirs. Everyone’s journey is unique to them.
When the going gets tough, take a break and walk away for a bit. The worst thing is burnout.
Lastly, pick something you enjoy. You didn’t leave your miserable job to invent another miserable “job” online. You have flexibility and freedom in this aspect. Remember that.
With that said, keep going.
I really resonated with this. I'm also prone to quitting but it's probably more like pausing or only giving it a minor effort before moving onto the next thing. I often come back to my interests. But sometimes I wonder where I'd be if I had stuck to something I started many years ago and stayed consistent. It definitely comes down to self-belief. I enjoyed reading this 😊