When is quitting an option to consider?

Bel Wilcoxen, Photo Editor

You are sitting on your bed at 10 p.m. with an infinite amount of schoolwork on your lap. You just got home from a three-hour practice and in eight hours you have to get up for school.

What are you going to do: give up and quit, or push through and try to get things accomplished?

Junior Weston Gardner defined quitting as, a person who stops trying to become great.

Of course, if you try something new you’re not going to be great at it immediately. For example, if I tried to play basketball I would not be a great as senior Jessica Wayne who is breaking school records. It takes time to become great at something.

There will come a point in a student’s high school career where you feel extremely stressed out. You want to give up and turn in the blank papers. But don’t because in the end, all the time-consuming homework will fade away into success.

Hard work takes time and dedication. You shouldn’t just give up because things get difficult. Take basketball, for example. If I am playing one-on-one with Wayne and she destroys me, what should I do? Give up, or keep bettering myself? I should try to reach my goal. I’m not going to be a great overnight; it’s going to take time, hard work and dedication.

Although sports can be stressful, so can academics. Academics can be challenging, especially if you don’t know what you are getting into. At the end of sophomore year we have to decide whether we are ready to take a college-level AP class.

People warn us, but we underestimate them or overestimate ourselves. Some classes require a lot of time spent on homework and projects. It can get very hard juggling those classes and a social life.

Life, in general, can also be hard. It can be easier to stop what you’re doing and end everything.

Quitting on life is never the answer. When things get challenging, you shouldn’t just decide to run away from your problems. You need to face them, head first.

“When things get hard you should never give up, because if you keep trying you never know what is going to happen until you push through everything and truly see what your outcome can be,” freshman Macey Nigh said.

Take some time to wrap your head around the situation, but don’t give up. Keep fighting, because things will get easier.

Have you ever heard of the phrase “only rainbows come after rain?” That phrase is true when it comes to quitting. You have to push through the chaotic rainy mess before the peace and relief come.

“You should never quit on something that would better yourself or help another person,” said freshman Hannah Pappert. “If you are harming yourself or someone else mentally or physically, then you need to quit whatever you’re doing immediately.”

You can reach a low point. You know it’s the lowest because you feel like giving up. Don’t. Stay strong, and become great.

Life is too short to just throw things away. You’ll miss out on great opportunities, whether it’s in sports, academics or general life situations. Don’t quit, because it can only get better.