I’ve convinced myself I’m being realistic.

Pulling the plug.

Reading the signs.

Moving on.

I called it stopping.

It’s quitting.

I couldn’t see the loop.

Didn’t notice I’d slipped into escape mode.

Tired.

Frustrated.

Tired and frustrated.

Unclear on what “finished” meant.

Leaving a project midstream

because it didn’t feel worth it anymore.

I never defined “worth it” in the first place.

This loop has a signature:

Avoidance in the form of decisiveness.

Uncertainty masked as clarity.

What helps me determine the difference is asking:

Did I meet the requirement to stop?

Or am I bailing because I never defined “done”?

Stopping closes a loop.

Quitting leaves one open.