We’ve all been there.
We start a habit or a project and after a while, we don’t see results.
How do we figure out if we should quit and move on or persist for possible impact?
If we persist and it fails, there are sunk costs.
Yet, we likely learned something.
If we quit, we get our time and energy back.
Yet, we’ll never know if it might have been successful with more time.
My Story
I’ve been struggling with this tension in several areas of my life lately.
I’m spending time every day on a couple of projects and habits that aren’t yet showing results.
The problem is these are new activities.
I don’t know how long it would “normally” take to see progress and results.
So, how do I know if it’s time to let them go?
My Perspective
Maybe it’s less about the results and more about the mindset.
When we are in this situation, we could consider how the activities make us feel.
Are they enjoyable?
Do they make us feel better mentally or physically?
What emotions come up when we think about them?
We could recognize when the activity is not enjoyable.
Doesn’t make us feel good.
And brings up negative emotions.
Maybe that is the time to consider quitting.
Your Turn
Do you struggle with when to quit something that isn’t producing results?
Which is worse, continuing without success or quitting and never knowing if it would have worked?
Would the questions about joy, wellbeing, and positive emotions be helpful?