Knowing When To Walk Away

A very tough decision that a lot of people find difficult to make is to walk away. Many people are taught not to give up, not to quit, and to always keep fighting. It is true that perseverance is good, no doubt, but you have to also know the difference between perseverance and being unnecessarily attached to something or someone. There are times that what you need to grow is not to hold on to something but to let go. Knowing when to let go and walk away can protect your peace, preserve your resources, and even create room for a better opportunity.

You have to understand that walking away does not mean that you have failed. As a matter of fact, in some cases, it is a sign of self-respect, maturity, and good judgement. There are places or situations that, if you continue to put your energy, time, resources, and emotions it may likely produce little result or may even cause harm. In cases like this, it will be the right thing to take a walk. There are some areas that knowing when to walk away will become very beneficial, and we will take a look at some of them.

The first one is toxic relationship. Relationship is supposed to encourage growth, and mutual support. But sadly, some relationships are just opposite of what it should be. Some can be draining, unhealthy, and constantly sapping the person emotionally. If you are in a relationship or in a friendship and you are constantly disrespected, demeaned, manipulated, hurt emotionally, and uncomfortable, then remaining in it will be unnecessary. The right thing to do is to walk away. Remaining in a toxic relationship can often lead to frustration, stress, and may reduce your self confidence. So you need to walk away, to even create room for healthy relationships.

The second one is dead-end opportunities. Not every opportunity is worth pursuing forever. Imagine pursuing after one thing for years, even when you know that the chance of getting it is very slim or nonexistent. Someone may invest years into a particular project, or a venture, or something else that may show very little potential despite the huge efforts. It may just be a time to walk away. This does not mean quitting at the first sight of a challenge. But if after a careful assessment, and you find out that a particular opportunity does not seem to align with your goal again, then there is no need to keep pursuing after it. When you walk away from such dead-end opportunity, it will allow you to focus your energy, time, and resources towards better opportunities.

Another place you need to walk away is from negative environment. The environment around you can influence your mind, behaviour, and even your future in ways you may never expect. There are some environments that discourage growth, create mediocrity, or even constantly expose one to negativities. Whether it is in your place of work, community, social circle, or even your neighbourhood, anytime you realise that you are experiencing negativity, or that the environment is not suitable again for your development, then you should not continue to stick around, but you will know when to take a walk.

You also need to take a walk from arguments that do not lead to anywhere. There are people who can argue blindly without facts, and even end up getting you angry. There are also some arguments that are just endless battles which no side will end up winning, so why engage in it in the first place? If you continue with such arguments, you will end up wasting your time and energy, so the wise thing to do is to walk away. It is wisdom to know when and where to express your views and when to walk away. It is worthy to note that protecting your inner peace is far better than proving a point to the person who will never see things from your perspective.

The final thing to walk away from is unhealthy habit. A lot of people continue harmful habits simply because the habits have become familiar to them. These habits can include procrastination, laziness, excessive spending, or some other destructive habits. Growth starts when you realise the habits that no longer serve your goals and then walking away from them. It is true that it may be difficult to break free from old patterns, but doing so may become productive in the long run, and lead to success.

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