These 3 Questions Will Help You Know When to Quit & When to Commit

Can I do this episode like this?

I think my feet are fantastic.

Hey, it’s Marie Forleo and you are watching MarieTV, the place to be to create a business and life you love. Now, if you ever wonder: should you quit a project because you’re still not seeing results or should you push on through because you are this close to hitting it big, today’s episode is for you. This question comes from Michelle and she writes:

“Hi, Marie. I’m learning a lot from B-School, which is always high praise from a fellow training professional. Here’s my Q: how can you tell the difference between spending too much time on a marketing strategy versus being on the edge of breaking through? In B-School you mentioned that it took almost a year of hosting and posting MarieTV before you started to get traction. I find myself oscillating between two schools of thought. Number one, don’t cling to a mistake because you’ve spent so much time creating it and, two, being the diamond seeker who quits just when they’re about to strike it big. Would love to hear your thoughts on when to quit and when to commit. Thanks so much, Michelle.”

Thank you for your question, Michelle, and thank you for being a B-Schooler. Now, before we tackle your Q I want you to know that we have another awesome episode on this very same topic that you should watch after this one. Now, if you Google my name, Marie Forleo “Should You Quit Or Commit,” the Google will serve it up to you. We’re also going to link to it below on the blog.

Now, since you asked specifically about spending too much time on a marketing strategy and you mentioned MarieTV, I’m going to answer your question in that context. There are three questions that you should ask yourself that will help you come up with the best answer for you.

Question number one is, when it comes to any marketing strategy the first thing you want to be clear on is what metric are you measuring? So what exactly are you working to increase or improve? For instance, maybe you’re trying to increase email subscribers or you’re trying to drive up your sales. Now, obviously, and I know that you know this, having a clear, quantifiable metric to measure is the fastest and easiest way to tell whether a particular marketing strategy is working. So you just look at your numbers and if your numbers are going in the direction that you want them to go, you keep going. And if they’re not and you see no other benefits to continuing, then it’s probably time to change your strategy.

Now, as for your question about whether or not you could be this close to striking it big, I can’t get too into the weeds here because, honestly, there are so many different strategies and variables. For example, if you’re spending money on Facebook ads and you’re not seeing any leads or any sales conversions, then yes. You probably do need to quit or adjust your strategy. Conversely though, if your marketing strategy is to guest post on popular blogs and you’ve reached out to a bunch of people and so far everyone has said no, I say, you know what? Don’t give up too soon, because success in business is often a game of numbers and dogged persistence. So I want you to use metrics and your common sense to help you decide.

Now, with all that said, what I think is an even more important question to ask yourself is this: and it’s question number two. Why are you really doing it? So you mentioned MarieTV and the fact that I had shared I was making videos for probably well over a year before anyone seemed like they even cared. But here’s what most people don’t know, I had been publishing content on a regular basis since the year 2000, and MarieTV didn’t start until the year 2010. So I had a full decade’s worth of experience writing content consistently before I started making videos on my webcam in my kitchen. So MarieTV was less of a marketing tactic. It was actually something fun that I really wanted to experiment with. It was a way for me to express myself and do something completely new.

Now, over time MarieTV definitely took on a life of its own, but all of this grew very organically. It was never some big vision that I had, it was just me following this creative impulse about something I wanted to do.

So let’s take this back to you. If you enjoy creating something or working on something, there is enormous ROI in that. It’s called creative fulfilment and joy and mental stimulation. So my challenge to you is to investigate your motivation. What I want you to do is really peel back the layers and get super honest with yourself. Keep asking, why are you pursuing this goal or doing this activity or creating this work in the first place, and why is that important to you?

So no matter what answer you initially come up with, I want you to keep asking yourself why until you get down to the real deal, that true reason that you’re doing what you’re doing. And once you really understand why you’re doing anything, you’re going to have the clarity to really make that call about whether you should quit or commit.

And finally I want to cover question number three: what’s the opportunity cost of staying the course? So in other words, what projects or strategies are you not getting to because your time, your energy, and your resources are invested in your current strategy?

You know, opportunity cost is a real thing and not something enough people consider when saying yes to a strategy or a project or goal. You’ve gotta remember this: every single thing that you say yes to means you’re saying no to something else.

Look, we only get one shot at this beautiful adventure called life, so if staying the course is keeping you from spending your time and your energy on something way more valuable, don’t feel bad about quitting. Quitting doesn’t make you weak. In fact, it can often make you a winner. You know, sometimes when we quit a strategy or a project or a goal, it’s because we’re choosing to focus our attention on something even more important.

So the bottom line is, if you answer these three questions, you’re going to know for yourself whether you should quit or commit. Or as Kenny Rogers says, you’re gonna know when to hold them and when to fold them.

And that, Michelle, was my A to your Q and I really do hope it helps. Now I would love to hear from you. So when it comes to a marketing strategy or any long-term creative project, have you ever felt that tension between whether you should quit or commit? And what helped you decide? Leave a comment below and let me know.

Now, as always, the best, richest conversations happen at the magical land of MarieForleo.com, so head on over there and leave a comment now. Once you’re there, be sure to subscribe to our email list and become an MF insider. You’ll get instant access to a powerful audio training called How To Get Anything You Want and you’ll get some exclusive content and special giveaways and personal updates from me that I just don’t share anywhere else.

Stay on your game and keep going for your dreams, because the world needs that special gift that only you have. Thank you so much for watching and I’ll catch you next time on MarieTV.

Have you been thinking about starting your own business? Is fear, confusion, or overwhelm slowing you down? We can fast track your growth and save you years of expensive trial and error. Get the guidance you need to make your dream business come to life, guaranteed. Learn more at StartTheRightBusiness.com.

All bets are off. When you start shooting late in the afternoon, it’s just cutthroat here at Marie – you think we’re all nice and sweet. We’re vicious.

My hootie hoo!

Do you feel a kick coming?

It’s chaos on the set of MarieTV.

Forget about walking on fire. Just catch a t-shirt in your mouth with an air cannon.