I believe in the power of perseverance. I do.  I know that the key to success is ultimately to keep going after inevitable failures.   However, not all projects, goals, jobs or relationships MUST be seen through to the end.   This can be difficult to admit.  We are taught that quitters never win.

I used to have mini-breakdowns every time I dropped a class, quit a job, or changed my mind about a project I had started.  I hated being a “quitter”.  That wasn’t who I was.  Eventually, I learned that it can be okay to quit.  I can trust myself to know when it's time to stop.  Sometimes I quit because new approaches aren't having the desired outcome. Sometimes I quit because I honestly no longer care to complete the goal.  I don't throw my hands up and walk out the second it gets tough.  Only after evaluation (and a gut-check) do I decide to walk away.

At times, it can be relatively simple to determine that quitting is the right course of action: 

As a child, when I was distraught about being unable to accomplish a task, my mom would sing High Hopes.  At the time, I didn't pay attention to the lyrics or receive comfort from hearing the song.  It was a distraction; one that was both funny and annoying...the annoyance increasing with my age. 

For years, I believed it was either failure or success with nothing in between.  Failure was and continues to be HARD for me.  I know;  it's hard for everyone.  Some of us, though, take it straight to heart.  My identity was wrapped up in "not failing" and when I did, I was an emotional WRECK!  My inner dialogue was brutal.  Failure was to be avoided at all costs; I generally would give up before facing it again.

I can now appreciate the song and understand why my mom would sing it.  Persistence in the face of failure is challenging but absolutely necessary for success.