When Is It Okay to Give Up on Something? (1)

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I am no pessimist. In fact, I believe in great possibilities. But, no matter how smart, driven, awesome, tireless, or persistent you are, there are times when you just have to give up. Yes, I just published a series on why and how you should persist till you eventually overcome on this blog recently. But I know that there are times when we get caught up in situations where giving up on our goal is the best thing to do. I will share 4 examples briefly.

 

1. When You Do Not Have the Privilege of Trying Again (Repeatedly)

You may have to give up on something if it has a deadline and you cannot extend or keep extending its deadline. Of course, you should have given it your best shot and absolutely confirmed that you cannot overcome the deadline challenge before choosing to give up. Once you are sure you have exhausted your chances, you should give up on it and find something else to focus your energy on. As an example, if you’ve been trying to become an executive in a prestigious club or professional association that has an age limit for eligible candidates and you set a personal deadline to attain that position but are unable to win the required election till you exceed the applicable age bracket, then you should be willing to give up on that goal and find another gratifying goal to pursue within or outside the organization.

 

2. When What You Are Pursuing Becomes Irrelevant or Less Valuable

It is okay to give up on something if while trying to achieve that thing, it becomes irrelevant or less valuable to you than it was when you originally set out to achieve it and if it is clear that stopping where you are or abandoning it is better than going through to completion. Once it is obvious that you will eventually waste time, money, efforts, etc., if you continue to pursue the goal but will save those vital inputs if you choose to stop where you are, then stopping or giving up is the right thing to do. For instance, if you set out to start a generator-manufacturing plant in Nigeria and the power supply from utility companies in Nigeria suddenly becomes so stable and reliable that the government unprecedentedly implements a climate-change policy that severely discourages the use of generators in the entire country, then you may have to abandon that particular business project and pursue another one.

 

Disclaimer:                               

While it is okay to give up on almost anything when doing so becomes necessary, it is never okay to intentionally give up on life. Life represents hope. It represents hidden opportunities. Each extra breath and each chance to exist represent endless possibilities that range from being an apparent nobody to becoming a fulfilled person. As such, this post or its sequel should not be mistaken for an approval to give up on life. That is absolutely not one of the things you should give up on.

 

Get ready to give up profitably but never give up on life!

 

To be continued in the next post…