Permission to Quit

All too often we hang on too long and quit too late.  No one likes to lose or concede failure.  We chase after the Gold of El Dorado, the Fountain of Youth, and the pot of gold at the end of rainbow.  The question is how long is too long? Researchers spend their entire lives looking for a cure, and like Ben Gates from the National Treasure movies they get one  more clue that leads to one more clue.

I discovered this weekend that a business I have gotten to to know well and used their services shuttered their windows and doors and called it a game.  I was sad, but in the reality of it all it was just game over.  They knew that with all things this too shall pass and there is some times a point where you have to “call it”.

I think Seth Godin did a nice job of explaining when to call it quits today with this post from his blog.  Enjoy his post and let me know what you think about knowing when to quit.

Bankruptcy

“Declaring Chapter 11″

What a poetic phrase, starting with ‘declaring’. Not sighing or announcing or admitting, but Declaring!

Chapter 11 refers to part of the bankruptcy code that covers reorganizations. In Chapter 11, you don’t shut down your business. Instead, faced with failure, you suspend certain agreements and debts and negotiate in a way that permits you to continue.

Chapter 7 is very different. It means “I give up.” You shut down, it’s over.

Metaphorically, we have the chance to declare either kind of bankruptcy whenever we work on a project or consider a habit, a social media addiction or even a job.Teetering on the edge of bankruptcy is painful. Declaring is often a relief.

Acknowledging that you’re stuck is the very first step in getting unstuck…

Perhaps it’s time to stop fighting a losing fight and start creating value doing something else instead. Bankruptcy is never fun, but when you give up something that wasn’t getting you where you needed to go, sometimes you discover a future better than you ever expected.

~via Seth’s Blog

Michael Mock

Some Disassembly is Required

25 Signs You Are Getting Old

1. Your houseplants are alive, and you can’t smoke any of them.
2 Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.
3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
4. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator.
6. You watch the Weather Channel.
7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of “hook up” and “break up.”
8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.
9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as “dressed up.”
10. You’re the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won’t turn down the stereo.
11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.
12. You don’t know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.
13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.
14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald’s leftovers.
15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
16. You take naps.
17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.
18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 am would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.
19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacids, not condoms and pregnancy tests.
20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer “pretty good stuff”.
21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
22. “I just can’t drink the way I used to” replaces “I’m never going to drink this much again.”
23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.
24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
25. When you find out your friend is pregnant you congraulate them instead of asking, “Oh S*?%!! What the hell happened?!”

BONUS:

26. You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn’t apply to you and can’t find one to save your sorry old ass.  Then you blog about it to a bunch of friends and strangers on the internet, because you know they’ll enjoy it and do the same thing.

Michael Mock

Some Disassembly is Required