Train the Brave, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 25Quit quickly; fail fast

Surely persisting, persevering and not giving up, no matter what, is what it takes to achieve success in the bigger game of life? Sure. But in balance. While persistence is a hallmark of success, so too is knowing when to change the game plan, when to pull back and when to call it quits altogether. The irony is that by learning how to fail faster in the small things, you can set yourself up to succeed faster in the big.

Numerous times people have said to me something along the lines of, ‘I can't quit now! Not when I've worked so hard. Not when I've sacrificed so much. It would all be for nothing!' To which I've often replied, ‘Sure you can!' Sometimes calling it quits is exactly what you should do!

SOMETIMES CUTTING YOUR LOSSES IS THEBRAVEST (AND SMARTEST) THING TO DO.

There's a reason why smart people sometimes stay the course long after they should quit — whether sticking in a job, business, relationship or any situation. It's because of what psychologists have coined the ‘Investment Trap'; that is, our aversion to losing (or ‘wasting') what we've put into something compromises our judgement. This drives us to invest more when quitting and cutting our losses would serve us so much better. We just loathe the thought that we've wasted our time or money or energy, so we press on, even when logic would dictate us to do otherwise.

If you've ever kept reading a lousy book, or kept wearing an expensive but ill-fitting jacket just because you loathe ...