NationStates Jolt Archive

If you are part of some group/activity/etc and your devotion to it doesn't seem to give you any gratification, what should you do?

I've been in situations like this before and it seems like whenever I continued (even if I didn't want to), I didn't get any more satisfaction....

Explain your reasons and quit - that was hard, wasn't it? ;)

Explain your reasons and quit - that was hard, wasn't it? ;)

Duh.

If you are part of some group/activity/etc and your devotion to it doesn't seem to give you any gratification, what should you do?

I've been in situations like this before and it seems like whenever I continued (even if I didn't want to), I didn't get any more satisfaction....

Without more info. it's hard to give advice that is too specific...

The main thing I'd consider if I was in your shoes would be wether my focus was in the right place. If you are simply in the group to take from it, rather than giving to it as well, you will find that no matter what group you join, you will exhaust their resources if you aren't putting in as much as you are taking out.

If you are part of some group/activity/etc and your devotion to it doesn't seem to give you any gratification, what should you do?

I've been in situations like this before and it seems like whenever I continued (even if I didn't want to), I didn't get any more satisfaction....

Life is too short to deliberately bore yourself. *nod*

This is too vague a question to give a general response. Personal responsibilit's post is quite true, and is doubly so if the specific situation is an interpersonal relationship.

if other people are relying on your participation, its only fair to pick a time to quit that is convenient for them.

for example, if its your bowling team you are sick of, wait until you can find a replacement or the season is over before you tell them that you have realized that bowling is not a sport so much as a reason to drink.

Life is too short to deliberately bore yourself. *nod*
I agwee!

I subscribe to the policy of "Look after yourself first, and your responsibilities will fall into place."

If you're in a group, and you're not satisfied by it, then you need to get out. Maybe it's the peergroup - I've left religious groups and friendships because I was sick of the backbiting and bitching within them. Maybe it's the political agenda of the group. People's ideals change, especially when they're young, although personality development is not always complete until the mid-30s. A healthy flexibility to adaptation makes transitions like this far easier, and less traumatic.

It's likely you've invested a lot of your time, emotion and goodwill into this group, so you're bound to feel bad about leaving. I assure you, though, that the surprise of your departure will be felt more by your group members than by your self, if indeed you choose to leave. You need to own yourself and your own decisions, so you must accept that the disappointment of others in the group is their responsibility, not yours. They cannot hold you to their expectations of you. For you to continue in a group that doesn't satisfy you would be dishonest, as you wouldn't be motivated to give your heart to the cause. Any sensible group leader will appreciate your honesty and your decision far more than your halfhearted contribution.

Good luck.

what's important to you? What has life-long value? Is sticking with it in the short-term something that will pay off long-term? Or, will quitting now ultimately be helpful or hurtful to your long-term interests?

If you are part of some group/activity/etc and your devotion to it doesn't seem to give you any gratification, what should you do?

I've been in situations like this before and it seems like whenever I continued (even if I didn't want to), I didn't get any more satisfaction....

To hell with it!

I could really get into this, but the link in my signature explains it better than I can. Read it biatches!

If you are part of some group/activity/etc and your devotion to it doesn't seem to give you any gratification, what should you do?
Have you tried asking for it?

Why do anything if theres no positive feedback from it?

Even mundane chores, or work, while not fun, has its own rewards.

Did you join it in the first place? If you really hate it now, just finish your current responsibilities and quit. There are other things to try, after all! But before you make that deicison, sit down and think hard about how you could improve your feeling for the activity for now. It's been a long way, after all!