Basketball, I quit. Cheerleading, I quit. Scholastic Bowl, I quit.
For a long time, I thought quitting meant failure. I used to believe that once I said yes to an opportunity, I had to stick with it until the end. After all, opportunities aren’t always easy to grab. If I quit, I felt like I had wasted a valuable opportunity that someone else might have wanted. I also worried that people would think I wasn’t determined or serious enough. Because of all of these thoughts, whenever I tried something new, I felt like I had to stick with it, even when I realized that it wasn’t my thing.
It wasn’t until I learned to play Texas Hold’em that I began to see quitting differently. Before I started playing Texas Hold’em, I thought that once you were in a hand, you had to stay and play until the end. But as I learned more about Texas Hold’em, I came across two very different choices: a hero call and a nice fold. A hero call means staying in the game and taking a risk when you believe it is worth it, while a nice fold means recognizing that the hand is not worth playing and walking away. I remember playing with my friends once and being in a hand where I really wanted to keep playing because I had already put so much into it. But when I looked at my only two cards again, a 7 of spades and a 2 of diamonds, the phrase “nice fold” suddenly struck me. Then I folded. I realized that staying in just because I had invested didn’t make sense. If I stayed, I might lose even more. Folding could be disappointing, but it could also be the better choice.
After this game, I began to see my real life the same way. I thought about all the things I had quit before. At first, I saw them as failures. But the idea of a nice fold changed my mind. Then I realized each one had taught me something. Some helped me discover things I enjoyed, while others showed me what I wasn’t passionate about. Basketball and Scholastic Bowl taught me that trying something new and leaving it are better than wondering “what if.” Cheerleading taught me to walk away and put more time and energy into what matters to me.
Today, I still make my hero call. I keep trying new things, taking chances, and gaining different experiences. But I also believe in a nice fold. I believe a nice fold isn’t a failure or a selfish choice. I believe that not every opportunity is meant to be kept. Sometimes, the best choice is to let go, choose a path that is better for me, and always make room for something new.
