Informed and tactical quitting is frequently overlooked and you’ve explained the importance of it in making sustained progress. You’ve made a difficult, but valuable decision. Thanks, Adam
Adam, that's a thoughtful and insightful post. As one of your Ph.D. Cohort members, I certainly understand your decision, and I know it must have been a difficult one for you. All of us in the Cohort know that you're a brilliant and original thinker, and in every class meeting we miss your valuable participation. I'm sure that your novels will also be brilliant and original, and I look forward to reading them. Best regards. Tim
Kudos on refusing to be a victim of the sunk cost fallacy, Adam! I wanted to be a psychologist, and I had to get that degree to get licensed, so I stuck it out (ugh). You seem to have the curiosity and drive to independently learn everything about the "humanities" you want to know, and thereby free up a lot of time and money to do other higher-value things. Thanks for showcasing the wisdom of the strategic change of course so others can consider it!
Quitting is a curious behavior. I do it all the time. Both in the big stuff and the small stuff.
Few quit to stop altogether. Most quit to change, to transition, to start over, to reinvent, to discover, recover, restore or remind themselves of what is important.
Just reflecting on your stack, I was thinking about the times I quit big. Career change level quitting. Three times: 1988, 1995, and 2015. Then there was March of this year. I quit writing for three months. Quit obsessively engaging in social media. I began to focus on writers who were dead. T.S. Eliot, William Shakespeare, William Faulkner, Marshall McLuhan, C.S. Lewis, Robert Ludlum, Cormac McCarthy, Jean Baudrillard, and J.R.R. Tolkien. I have a purpose in doing so, understanding Time and Reality. From this new venture emerge two ideas, “generational memory” and “the Eternal Present.” From this will come my first novel, working title, The Simulacra of Time.
My point is that this should not be just an ad hoc moment of quitting, but a learned practice that becomes your life. I’m starting over at 72 years. I figure this will carry me through the end of my life.
I had just looked to see if he had any more out, and thiught… well if he isn’t going to write any more in the series you and I should team up to continue it ….just so we could read them!
I had a similar experience leaving the military and then ‘quitting’ my MBA program to fully focus on my company and family. It easy to second guess or over analyze the decision especially when you were enjoy it but a bet on yourself that has a higher EV bringing you closer to your goal will pay out more in the long run. Loving the articles you’ve been putting out man!
it's great you mentioned you could return to the program at some point, and you are only making the decision to unplug for now, which makes good sense to me. Without digging too deep a hole, knowing when to disengage is actually a high art. Isn't having a retreat plan an essential component of having a battle plan ? Stay whole to fight another day, good post !
Informed and tactical quitting is frequently overlooked and you’ve explained the importance of it in making sustained progress. You’ve made a difficult, but valuable decision. Thanks, Adam
I quit mine after the exact same amount of time. Best thing I did.
Adam, that's a thoughtful and insightful post. As one of your Ph.D. Cohort members, I certainly understand your decision, and I know it must have been a difficult one for you. All of us in the Cohort know that you're a brilliant and original thinker, and in every class meeting we miss your valuable participation. I'm sure that your novels will also be brilliant and original, and I look forward to reading them. Best regards. Tim
Tim! Thank you for the kind words, my brother, I am looking forward to reading your novels as well!
Kudos on refusing to be a victim of the sunk cost fallacy, Adam! I wanted to be a psychologist, and I had to get that degree to get licensed, so I stuck it out (ugh). You seem to have the curiosity and drive to independently learn everything about the "humanities" you want to know, and thereby free up a lot of time and money to do other higher-value things. Thanks for showcasing the wisdom of the strategic change of course so others can consider it!
Very powerful and well stated! Loved the homage at the end- The Gambler Song🎶🎶🎶
Great post - It really made me pause and reflect, and it’s a helpful reminder - thank you for that
Quitting is a curious behavior. I do it all the time. Both in the big stuff and the small stuff.
Few quit to stop altogether. Most quit to change, to transition, to start over, to reinvent, to discover, recover, restore or remind themselves of what is important.
Just reflecting on your stack, I was thinking about the times I quit big. Career change level quitting. Three times: 1988, 1995, and 2015. Then there was March of this year. I quit writing for three months. Quit obsessively engaging in social media. I began to focus on writers who were dead. T.S. Eliot, William Shakespeare, William Faulkner, Marshall McLuhan, C.S. Lewis, Robert Ludlum, Cormac McCarthy, Jean Baudrillard, and J.R.R. Tolkien. I have a purpose in doing so, understanding Time and Reality. From this new venture emerge two ideas, “generational memory” and “the Eternal Present.” From this will come my first novel, working title, The Simulacra of Time.
My point is that this should not be just an ad hoc moment of quitting, but a learned practice that becomes your life. I’m starting over at 72 years. I figure this will carry me through the end of my life.
Look forward to reading some great novels in this next chapter of the book of life.
I few months ago I grabbed all the vampire earth books at a used bookstore, almost texted you a pic….
I had just looked to see if he had any more out, and thiught… well if he isn’t going to write any more in the series you and I should team up to continue it ….just so we could read them!
I know! I read somewhere he was going write a new one- Georgia showdown or something like that…..
Simply said, sometimes a no is as good as a yes.
I had a similar experience leaving the military and then ‘quitting’ my MBA program to fully focus on my company and family. It easy to second guess or over analyze the decision especially when you were enjoy it but a bet on yourself that has a higher EV bringing you closer to your goal will pay out more in the long run. Loving the articles you’ve been putting out man!
it's great you mentioned you could return to the program at some point, and you are only making the decision to unplug for now, which makes good sense to me. Without digging too deep a hole, knowing when to disengage is actually a high art. Isn't having a retreat plan an essential component of having a battle plan ? Stay whole to fight another day, good post !
The Gambler lyrics were going through my head the entire read. If you hadn't added them, I would have.