This one not only isn’t simple, it’s going to be downright painful, so let’s get one thing out of the way right up front.
Your emotions cannot enter into your decision.
Having said that, this is going to be easier said than done. Because we’re talking about bailing on something you’ve been working on, right? The very fact that you’ve been pursuing whatever it is means that it’s something important enough for you to spend your precious time and energy on – therefore bailing is going to feel like failure. Hey, winners never quit and quitters never win, isn’t that how the old saying goes? Well, yes, but that’s not exactly how the real world works – as usual, life is a little more nuanced than that.
First of all, is it your ego that really wants this thing or is it truly important to you? Because if it’s just for your ego, that, by itself, is not a valid reason to pursue something.
On the other hand, are you pursuing something because it would contribute to the greater good? Or perhaps achieving this thing will lead to higher state of self-actualization? These are definitely valid reasons to keep going even when things seem impossible.
You might also ask yourself do I have the resources to actually accomplish what I’m trying to do? And finally, perhaps most important of all, there’s this:
You’ve got a limited number of minutes left in your life. Is this how you want to spend them?