The Great Reinvention For Women
Quitting Like A Winner
When I was a pre-teen I saw a bumper sticker on the back of a wood paneled station wagon. It boldly stated, “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” I was overly impressed by its clever and succinct life advice. From then on, every time I was tempted to quit something, I thought of the great and wise bumper sticker and well, I didn’t. But, looking back, there were activities (youth soccer), relationships (possessive boyfriend), and even business decisions (working 80 hours a week) that I should have quit a lot sooner. It turned out that not quitting didn’t always make me a winner.
What I didn’t know then, that I know now, is that quitting can be the choice that propels you in a more positive direction. It can also be an act of self preservation. Quitting is an assertive action that keeps you in control of your time, and your future. Winners know when to quit.
You’ve probably heard that the pandemic forced record numbers of women out of the workforce. What you might not know is that a record number of those women have started their own businesses. Women-founded businesses grew 27% in 2020, compared to 17% of male-founded enterprises. In other words, they quit and they aren’t looking back.
A silver lining of the pandemic has been the time and space it has afforded us to reflect on our lives and reassess our priorities. Our solitude led many to make major life adjustments. You may call it the Great Resignation, but we like to think of it as the Great Reinvention for Women.
Yes, women are quitting and we are cheering them on!
We’re cheering for women quitting crappy jobs with unrealistic demands that leave them burned-out, exhausted, and unsupported.
We are Hip Hip Hooraying that women are turning to entrepreneurship to share their talents and expertise while building businesses that align with their values and support them financially.
We are over the moon that women are quitting companies that stigmatize child bearing, and minimize their contributions when they become mothers.
We are celebrating women who are quitting toxic work environments and discovering a healthy work-life balance.
We are doing a happy dance every time a woman quits doing everything and delegates instead.
We recognize that unfortunately, it took a global pandemic to help people quit. We too, shifted our priorities and realigned to what we value most.
You may have seen our manifesto on our new website. If you haven’t, check it out. We put a lot of deep work into it during the pandemic, and we hope you can use it as a tool to ignite your own manifesto for yourself and your work. Rah Rah Rah.