You've heard it before: Just keep going. You'll only fail if you quit. No one wins by giving up.

And that's true to a point, but sometimes the strategy is flawed, the vision is wrong, or the opportunity just isn't there.

How can you tell the difference and avoid getting trapped pursuing a goal that can't be achieved?

Read on: blog.WednesdayWin.com​

Read time: 4 minutes

Quitting is tough, but sometimes it is the right move. Let's set up some guidelines so we don't get this wrong:

1. If you are wondering, the answer is probably clear: don't quit

If you are debating whether or not to continue, the right course is almost certainly to continue. Making massive improvements by definition will require stepping out of your comfort zone, making decisions without perfect information, and stepping up your skills to a significant degree.

Worthwhile is hard, always. That’s an essential component for why it’s worthwhile. Of course you want to quit. You are being stretched. Don't mistake difficulty for impossibility.

It's going to be difficult. Don't be fooled.

• The very act of growth will be uncomfortable. You will be stretched
• You will naturally want to give up well before you've actually exhausted all routes to success
• Without overwhelming evidence of an impenetrable block, persist and figure out how to advance
• Doubt is a sign you aren't done learning and advancing

2. Success leaves clues

If the uncertainty suggests a need to persist, how can we find objective guidance for our challenges? One of the best ways is to look at others who have succeeded in the manner we wish to realize for ourselves. Examine the paths they took. What was essential learning? How did they clear major hurdles on the journey?

Now also look for evidence of failure. How did those that feel short behave? What key learning did they miss? Can you find a means of correcting course instead of giving up? What clues have others left behind?

What can you learn from looking outward at others as well as inward is solo actors? What can you leverage from your past experience or the example of others?

• Learn from those that have succeeded in similar areas
• Look for examples from your own life and earlier endeavors
• What can you learn from the overall industry where you are focused? What's changing? What's remaining the same?
• Also seek out negative examples: where have others fallen short?

3. Is it just too big (or too small)?

One of the most common reasons that new ventures fail is that the problem they are addressing is either too big for you or your team to address. Even more painful is discovering that the opportunity is far too small.

Can you redefine your target to narrow the scope of work or shorten the timeline? Can you reduce the complexity?

Or, if needed, can you redirect your efforts to better serve a larger market or healthier segment without completely scrapping your existing work and plans?

• Right size your vision to match a reasonable target audience
• Look for ways to reduce complexity of product, solution, target reachability
• Align your goals with the right size opportunity as you learn

4. Are the goals rightly aligned?

This one is harder. Have you adequately understood who you need to be in order to reach this goal? Identity will trump desire every time. You must first recognize yourself as the kind of person who achieves what you want to achieve.

Does your goal align with your values or does it conflict? Are you fundamentally serving others or pursuing this outcome for solely self-serving reasons?

Will you need to compromise your values or can you embrace freely the tasks and activities necessary to reach your goal?

• Your self view must first include being one who succeeds as you wish to do
• Your internal motivations and priorities must match the required activities
• You need to be focused on a solution which serves others rather than only on personal profit or benefit
• Remain true to your values from goal definition through to attainment and cut out what conflicts

5. If it's worthwhile, it's not going to be easy

Finally, accept that to be worthwhile, your pursuit must be difficult.

Seek opportunities to apply consistent effort, but if occasional is all that you can do, still do that.

To grow adequately to make major improvements will require to push substantially beyond your starting skills and attitude. Be ready for change and growth. Embrace it. Don't fear it.

• Growth is required
• "To have more, you must first become more"
• Know that the biggest growth comes from the moements of greatest pain
• Be as consistent in effort as you can, but know that doing some work is always best

Action Summary

When in doubt, persevere. Don't be surprised by bouts of doubt.

If truly overwhelmed or absent all motivation, explore possible fixes before quitting:

• Evaluate others' demonstrated success pathways. Explore your own prior successes and deeper learnings
• Ensure the sizing and scope of your goal is correct
• Confirm that your goals are rightly aligned to your priorities, values, and overall sense of self

And if all of those are documented and you are still struggling, only then is it reasonable to quit and reset.

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What do you think? When did you persist beyond what seemed reasonable, but worked out? Reply to this email and let me know.

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To your success,

Christopher

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P.S. Like this one? You'll probably want to check out this earlier Wednesday Win essay on the five stages of emotional change for any major effort, too.

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