I bought my children bubble gum flavored toothpaste and I taught them how to brush their teeth in tiny circles so they wouldn't get cavities.They thought it was neat until my husband taught them how to rinse by spitting out water between their two front teeth like a fountain.I took the children on a walk in the woods and,after two hours,I managed to corral a slow ladybug into my son's insect cage.Is it an animal I was"cool"until their father came home,spent two minutes in the backyard,and captured a beetle the size of a Chihuahua.I try to tell myself I am a good parent even if my husband does things I can't do.I can make sure my children are safe,warm,and dry.I'll stand in line for five hours so the children can see Santa at the mall or be first in line to see the latest Disney movie.But I can't wire the VCR so my children can watch their favorite video.

I can carry my children in my arms when they are tired,tuck them into bed,and kiss them goodnight. be shown to Aslan But I can't flip them upside down so they can walk on the ceiling or prop them on my shoulders so they can see the moths flying inside of the light fixture.I can take them to doctor appointments,scout meetings,or field trips to the aquarium,but I'll never go into the wilderness, skewer a worm on a hook,reel in a fish,and cook it over an open flame on a piece of tin foil.I'll even sit in the first row of every Little League game and cheer until my throat is sore and my tonsils are raw,but I'll never teach my son how to hit a home run or slide into first base.As a mother I can do a lot of things for my children,but no matter how hard I try--I can never be their father.I'm one of those people who's terrible at saying no.I take on too many projects at once,and spend too much of my time doing things I'd rather not be.I get stuff done,but it's not always the best I can do, Maureen's blog or the best way I can spend my time

That's why my newest goal,both as a professional and a person,is to be a quitter.Being a quitter isn't being someone who gives up,who doesn't see important things through to the end.I aspire to be the opposite of those things,and think we all should.The quitter I want to be is someone who gets out when there's no value to be added, or when that value comes at the expense of something more important.I want to quit doing things that I'm asked to do,for no other reason than I'm asked to do it.I want to be able to quit something in mid-stream,because I realize there's nothing good coming from it.A friend of mine once told me that"I knew I was an adult when I could stop reading a book, Rosalind's blog even after getting 500 pages into it."Odd though it sounds,we all tend to do this. We get involved in something,realize we don't want to be a part of it,but keep trucking through. We say"well,I've already invested so much time in this,I might as well stick it out."

I propose the opposite:quit as often as possible,regardless of project status or time invested.If you're reading a book,and don't like it,stop reading.Cut your losses,realize that the smartest thing to do is stop before your losses grow even more,and quit.If you're working on a project at work that isn't going anywhere,but you've already invested tons of time on it,quit.Take the time gained by quitting the pointless project,and put it toward something of value.Instead of reading an entire book you hate, Queena' blog read 1/2 a bad one and 1/2 a good one.Isn't that a better use of your time?If you're stuck doing something,and don't really want to do it anymore,step back for a second.Ask if you really have to do this,and what value is being produced from your doing it.Don't think about the time you've put into it,or how much it's taken over your life.If you don't want to do it,and don't have to do it,don't do it.

By quitting these things,you'll free up time to do things that actually do create value,for yourself and for others. Daphne's blog You'll have time to read all the great books out there,or at least a couple more. You'll be able to begin to put your time and effort into the things you'd actually like to do.Let's try it together:what are the things you're doing,that you're only doing because you've been doing them for so long?Quit.Don't let time spent dictate time you will spend.Let's learn how to say"no"at the beginning,or in the middle,and free up more of our time to do the things we'd like to be doing,and the things actually worth doing.Saying no is hard,and admitting a mistaken yes is even harder.But if we do both,we'll start to make sure that we're spending our time creating value, Rosemary's blog rather than aggravating our losses.Let's be quitters together.ykl