NEVER GIVE UP… OR SHOULD YOU SOMETIMES?
In the past winter, I learned a valuable lesson about giving up.
I know. Many people say: "Don't give up, persist."
I think differently.
That is all good, and it is true, but you always need to understand the environment and the circumstances.
Lately, when I am at home, I take my dog, Charlie, for a walk. It takes like an hour and a half to finish the circle.
We go up the hill. Then on the other side, we descend.
As I live on the hilly side of my country, we tend to have quite a lot of snow in the winter.
One day it was almost 4 pm. And I knew that due to the newly fallen snow, it was going to take a little bit longer than usual. But, the night might catch us.
I was ready. I also took a small torch with me.
Even though there was fresh snow up our knees, a path was still seen. Somebody was a bit crazier than we were. They trailed through the heavy snow ahead of us. Even though the light or visibility was not the most optimal, we went anyway… because we just followed in the footsteps of the fresh snow.
Frankly speaking, Charlie had to go because I was leading.
All of a sudden, a heavy snowfall started. I wouldn't say it was a blizzard. However, it wasn't as romantic snowfall as we see in the movies. The snowflakes and the cold wind were harsh on my face. As we started to walk and the heavy snowing… the previous trail began to disappear.
The path was gone. I knew the way. Like I walked it so many times before. But the visibility was getting worse.
“I know the way. We can make it. I set a goal to make this walk every day.”
I took a new step in the fresh snow. I went knee-deep.
Never give up… it swooshed through my mind.
I saw Charlie struggling before me. He loves our walks but doesn't share the same goal as my daily walk target.
He was struggling. The snow was sticking in giant snowballs on his fur. As a result, it was even more difficult for him to walk.
I looked up to the hill. All I saw was just this greyish-white void. I didn't want to break the cycle of our daily walks and ruin my goal.
I need to reach the hilltop every day. I need to get my 10.000 steps.
Charlie was looking at me. Like, what next?
I decided to quit. To give up for today. It was not worth tormenting Charlie or, even worse, getting lost somewhere and putting myself and him in danger.
What is my point?
Sometimes you have to give up.
We started in good spirits, but I had to assess the situation and abort the task due to uncertain circumstances. It was a decision based on my previous knowledge and safety measures. If I continued, I could risk my or my dog's life.
Giving up is a possibility. However, it is a good choice and can be the right one. You are not a loser. You just made a ration choice which was the best under that circumstances.
And the same is in business. Sometimes some things are perused for the goal itself. We set this goal and need to reach it, even though it might be long overdue or not even an option. We are talking about sunk cost here.
Face it. Don't persist on the goal itself. See the circumstances. Asses them. Make a decision. But don't risk it. Not worth it.
You gave up today. But tomorrow you will try again and finish.
Yes, give up. But don’t give in.
