Some years ago, I decided to move out of my comfort zone and take tango lessons. My church had an interim minister who was an avid tango dancer. She had started studying tango because she had trouble following dance partners. Or anyone else. After going to dinner with her at the Buenos Aires Grill, and visiting a tango club, I was ready to sign up. I had never been much of a follower, either.
As I said, I was out of my comfort zone. Going out at night all on my own to a strange place many, many miles from anywhere I had ever been, doing something I had never done before - I felt very brave. I was proud of myself for being adventurous. I also discovered that I had absolutely no aptitude for tango dancing. I began to refer to the classes as my tango terror. I kept going because I don't like to give up - and I thought the whole experience might improve. It didn't, but I learned a few valuable lessons. Lessons learned from childhood were not helpful here: "Always finish what you have begun", "Clean your plate - remember the starving children in (fill in the blank)", "Quitters never win". (The last one wasn't something I ever heard from my non-competitive parents except when my mother was trying to get klutzy me to practice catching a ball.) So of course I was going to stick with the tango lessons, and then I asked myself why I was torturing myself. Why shouldn't I stay home and watch tv? I'm a grown-up; I can quit if I want to.
Around this time, I heard someone say: "If it's not fun, it's not done". I don't agree with that. Some things you have to do whether they are fun or not. Tango lessons were not one of those things. Being a member of the Clean Plate Club wasn't going to help starving children anywhere. Doggedly finishing a book even though it is boring/unbearably depressing/historically inaccurate/written by a chimpanzee is not necessary. I started to give myself permission to quit. I'm still working on the whole "saying no" thing as in "No, I will not chair that committee". Little steps, little steps. It has only been twenty years since my revelation.
Think about what you can give up, but also think about what you need to hold onto. We hear a lot about giving up toxic relationships. Distinguish between toxic and temporarily malfunctioning. The same with a job, a responsibility you undertook, an organization you belong to. Try to fix whatever isn't working.
“If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.” ― Eldridge Cleaver.
Persevere or give something up, change your life in little ways or big ways.