justify⁸">Quitting can be productive sometimes, so long as you know when to do it. We have the mentality¹ that we must push on through, never giving up, to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. There's guilt² associated with being a quitter; if we throw in the towel, it means there's something wrong with us.

有时候，辞职是一种有效的行为，只要你知道什么时候该辞。我们都认为必须坚持到底、决不放弃，以见到胜利的曙光。人们将辞职和犯罪联系了起来；如果我们辞职，那么就意味着自己有些地方不对劲了。

如果处于下面这些情况，你就该考虑辞职了。

* Dread³ your job. 对工作厌恶。You truly dread going to work every day. If that's because you'd rather be fishing or shopping, well, wouldn't we all?! That's not reason to quit, especially if you have bills to pay. But if that dread factor stems from the fact that you just can't stand the people you work with or the work you're expected to perform, that's a reason to start looking. 你每天都很厌恶上班。如果是因为更愿意去钓鱼或购物（难道我们都不是吗？），这并不是放弃的理由，尤其是你有账单要付的时候。可是如果你厌恶工作是因为无法忍受和你一起工作的人或者工作内容，那就该开始寻找新工作了。

* Are no longer challenged. 工作不再有挑战性。Some people readily admit they work for a paycheck; they're not particularly interested in growth or satisfaction. Money is money and the job suits their needs. That's OK. Others, however, figure if they have to work anyway, they might as well do something challenging and fulfilling. 有人直认自己工作是为了钱；他们对发展和满足感并无兴趣。钱就是钱，工作满足了他们的这个需求。这很好。不过，另一些人的看法是反正我都得工作，还不如找一份具有挑战性、能给予满足感的工作。

And when they start to feel complacent⁴, like they can just phone it in, it's time to think about quitting to make a change. When there's no opportunity for advancement⁵ within an organization or a field, it's time to shake things up. To move up, you must move out, which means quitting. 当他们开始感到自满、对工作的态度变得无所谓，那么就是该考虑放弃（辞职）、做出改变的时候了。当在某个领域、组织(公司)中没有发展的机会，那么就该做出新变动。“往高处走”就必须“先走出来”，这意味着辞职。

* Are burnt out. 感到精疲力竭。Health trumps⁶ wealth. When your work is making your sick, it's time to quit and rethink your career options. We have to realize that our mental and physical health and well-being⁷ is far more important than any one position. If your health is being compromised, it's probably time to quit. The same is true for the mental health of those closest to you. If your family is suffering because of your work, you may want to think of calling it quits. 健康胜过财富。当你的工作让你生病，那么就该辞职，重新考虑职业选择。人们应该意识到，身体、心理健康、幸福远比任何职位都重要。当健康受到损害时，很可能就该辞职了。同理，当工作影响到你最亲密的人的心理健康时也该如此。如果你的家人正因为你的工作承受痛苦，那么你也许希望考虑辞职了。

* Find the ends don't justify the means. 得不偿失。Be sure that the victory you're going for is one that actually holds meaning for you personally or professionally. Otherwise all of that effort might be for naught⁹. For example, an English literature major in college needs a math credit and is enrolled¹⁰ in a calculus¹¹ class. She discovers the course is impossible, so she opts¹² to drop it in favor of a simpler math class because, at the end of the day, all she needs is any math credit. It may be smarter to quit that more difficult course. 你要取得的胜利一定要对你个人或职业有意义。否则所有的努力就都打水漂了。例如：大学英语文学专业学生需要一个数学学分，于是选了微积分课程。她发现这门课太难，于是决定放弃而选择一门较为简单的数学课。因为到头来，她要的只是一个数学学分。所以放弃更难的课程就是一个更聪明的做法。

You can also try to quit small. Maybe you can't quit your full-time¹³ job, but there are aspects of your life where you can call it quits. It's OK to rethink investing your time in them so you're not stretched too thin. 你可以做出放弃不重要的。也许无法辞去全职工作，可是可以放弃生活的一些方面。完全可以重新考虑投入的时间，这样就不会让精力过分分散。

For example, are you involved in committees, projects or initiatives that, even if they go well, don't offer a productive or meaningful result to you at the end of the day? If so, rethink investing your time in them. While that may sound selfish on the outside, it's really about using your time and effort wisely, especially as we're all rowing as hard as we can. 例如，你是不是正参加一些组织、项目或计划，可即便这些事情进行顺利也不会给你带来一个有成效、有意义的结果？如果是的话，那么就去重新考虑你投入的时间。这也许听上去是自私的，可是事实上却是有关如何明智地运用时间、精力，尤其在我们都在全力以赴做事的时候。

Identify those small opportunities to quit to give yourself some peace of mind and a bit of breathing room. When you do that kind of quitting, you're a real winner. 放弃这些不那么重要的会给你带来平静的心情、一点点呼吸的空间。这种放弃会让你成为一位真正的赢家。