Embrace Change: The Art of Knowing When to Quit

Is it time to quit and give up? Quitting can be a strategic decision that opens up new opportunities you otherwise might have missed.

Quitting any goal, whether it’s related to a job, hobby, business, relationship, or anything else really, is usually the unpopular option. Even when faced with changing circumstances, “never give up” seems to be the adage. Perseverance is celebrated. It's easy to see quitting as a sign of failure, but in many cases, quitting can be a strategic decision that opens up new opportunities you otherwise might have missed.

Quitting

Think about it: if you're holding on to a plan that’s no longer in alignment with your goals, you’re wasting your time. You might even be missing out on something even better. Goals change all the time, and that’s fine. But how do you decide when it’s time to quit, or to persevere?

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. ~ Thomas Edison

One way to evaluate whether it's time to quit is by considering the concept of expected value (similar to the concept of experience value¹ I’ve written about before). This…