We hear about grit.
The need to stick with something through the tough times to reap the benefits.
Yet not everything we do will work.
How do we know when to persist in the messy middle and when to pivot?
I heard a good suggestion from a podcast where Pat Flynn summarized his book Lean Learning.
His perspective is to stop and assess our progress, passion, and purpose.
Here are the questions he suggests:
Progress: Are you making forward momentum? Are you seeing tangible results from your efforts?
Passion: Does this path still energize and excite you? Or has it become a chore?
Purpose: Is this pursuit aligned with your long-term goals and vision?
The answers help us figure out if it makes sense to persist or if we should pivot.
My Perspective
I think this is a simple and smart set of questions.
I also realize it might be hard to answer them honestly.
Especially if we have a project with a lot of sunk cost (time and money).
It’s hard to give something up and even harder to admit the lack of progress, passion, or purpose.
We wonder how we have lost the spark for something that once lit us up.
While difficult, I believe it’s important to know when to let things go.
I’ve made this tough decision.
I’ve persisted through projects that should have had a pivot.
And I’ve wondered if projects I pivoted (or dropped) would have worked if I stuck with it.
There is no magic solution.
However, these three questions can be a good guidepost along the way.
Your Turn
Have you had a project where you were struggling with a decision to persist or pivot?
Are you more likely to make a pivot or drop a project?
Is there a project you pivoted and wonder what would have happened if you stuck with it?