3 Reasons Giving-Up Is A Good Idea and Digging-In Is A Bad One. We Need To One-Up Our Thinking.
Have you ever giving this subject further consideration?
Society pays a premium for persistence. We often imagine a warrior, bloodied and injured, looking at the enemy with hatred in his eyes. It is an inspiration when we watch him fighting to his last breath. That image is heroic.
There are many stories in circulation, magnifying the need to keep going. There are good reasons for that. We give up too fast without knowing what is going on. We kick-start many personal initiatives without following through. From this perspective, persistence pays a premium. The heroic ones evolve to become a better person with each passing day.
I know where society is coming from. On the other hand, we have to examine and challenge the wisdom of digging-in beyond broadly accepted Life Principles. It is one thing to know that we have to drink 7 glasses of water daily. It is another when the water sources all around us are contaminated.
We cannot assume the onion is purple in color because appears so on the outside. We cannot readily assume that all advice works because everyone keeps harping about it. We got to peel the onion. We got to cry a few times to find out what really works.
We Struggle Because Society Pays A Premium for Persistence.
We do not peel the onion enough. Peeling the onion hurts our eyes. We cry when we do that. This is akin to our inner reflection. We do not engage in self-reflection enough to understand ourselves. We drift along the river of society, allowing it to bring us when it wants to go.
Persistence is a virtue. We love it. We admire those in school who can study mathematics for 4 hours in a day, practicing sums till no end. Teachers often compliment our classmates who fought their way back from straight Fs to Bs. The same person we spit our saliva on 3 months ago evolved to become a gladiator. And we give him our standing ovation.
We like that. Our role models in society celebrate persistence, and they teach us to embrace them. We love that hero’s comeback too.
However, does that mean giving-up has no place in our daily lives?
Is Giving-Up A Bad Idea?
Let me begin with a quote that Albert Einstein never said.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” — Not Albert Einstein.
Giving-up is a bad idea when we barely started. Our minds are creative and ambitious. We want to achieve many things, and many of them are worthy of our lifetime pursuit. Financial freedom speaks to the heart of many, and Elon Musk wants to colonize other planets in the Solar System.
And, the odds are stacked against us when we work to achieve our goals. There are reasons for that. One, we do not know when exactly we will achieve them. Two, we are unable to see the entire pathway to our endpoint. Three, there is an incredible number of obstacles in front of us.
We tell ourselves to keep pushing no matter what happens. However, have you wondered why there is a big gap between what society conveys and what we are experiencing?
Why Are We So Confused About Digging-In and Giving-Up?
We are torn in-between. Everyone tells us to push on when we want to give up. Is that the right advice? Or is that well-intentioned advice? The two sentences sound the same, but they are materially different.
The right advice is one that we seek from a luminary. They can shine a beam of light on the pathway ahead of us because they have traveled down that road previously. They can recount what works and whatnot. The right person gives the right advice. I call them mentors.
Well-intentioned advice is well, exactly what it sounds. Never give-up is a well-intentioned piece of advice. Saving money for our retirement is a well-intentioned piece of advice. Having a work-life balance is a well-intentioned piece of advice. These pieces of advice sound right under all circumstances, regardless of who we speak to. Oh yeah, start with why too.
Well-intentioned advice muddies the pond. We listen with all our heart because it comes from the people around us, but there is really zero substance to it. I know I need to save money for retirement. Hey, teach me how to earn more so I can save some pennies. I know I have to start with why. Hey, I know my intrinsic why now, so where is the how-to? Nope, there is none. They cannot tell you because they have not fought in the arena. Remember, sports commentators are not athletes fighting for their honor.
It is time we clear the fog.
The 3 Reasons.
What I am writing here is a distillation of my experience and thought processes. My life experience is too short to rely upon for understanding what works. Please feel free to take my ideas and experiment, adopt what works, and discard the rest.
These are the 3 reasons giving-up is a good idea, and digging-in is a bad one: -
- When our time is up.
- When we have no talent and no interest.
- When it is futile.
The first point refers to the professional athlete’s lifespan. Competitive swimmers are done by 30 years of age. The oldest Professional Ironman triathlete to win the Hawaii Ironman is 38 years old (male champion).
There is a natural shelf-life when it comes to competing at the highest level. Our bodies break down, and our minds may no longer be willing to go deep and push when it hurts. Age punishes what youth forgives. When we are at this stage, walking away at our peak is a valid consideration.
This has nothing to do with giving up on ourselves. This has everything to do with practicality.
The second point is straightforward. There are many things we were told to do because it is good for our future. This is another well-intentioned piece of advice, just like attending college. Not everyone has to attend college, and not everyone has to attend college at 18 years old.
If we have no interest in further studies and the course that we are enrolled in does not speak to us — Please feel free to give up. And give up fast. The price to pay is too high in terms of tuition fees and time. Be practical.
The last point is about futility. Yes, let us take the bulls by the horns. Let us live a life worth living. That is different from throwing eggs at a rock, believing that it will eventually crack. The relentless egg-bombs do nothing to the rock. It wastes precious resources and annoys the rock.
Interns are free to challenge their CEOs. Issuing a challenge must not be mistaken for accepting the challenge. The newbie might be waving and raving about new ways of doing this and that. The CEO is not interested until there are repeatable, viable results. Showcasing the fruits of our labor beats participating actively in meetings with an empty talk every time.
My Takeaway.
We need principles for guidance. We need practicality for continuous improvement.
Principles guide us. They are our North Star. We hold them dearly in our hearts because they define who we are. We are persistent, and we want others to recognize us that way.
That does not mean change is out. In fact, change is necessary. We fail because we do not understand the rules of the game. It is difficult when the rulebook is not made known. Therefore, we must continue to experiment with new ways of getting results.
Giving-up on methods that do not work is smart. Giving up on old production methods relying extensively on human labor is smart. Giving up on the Industrial Age’s idea of success in the Information Age is smart.
When all else fails, remember this.
Context is everything, even for giving-up.
Aldric
About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure.
Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
