At What Point Does Perseverance Stop?

Posted on November 27, 2006

Perseverance: defined as a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles or discouragement.

What point do you decide to end perseverance and know it is time to change course? I get this question a lot. We all know that it takes time and effort to create something success and lasting. But when you have worked as hard as you can and you are getting nothing, what point do you decide enough is enough?

I am always hesitant to tell someone who has been working very hard at a job, a business, relationship and so on that is it time to quit because I always remember a story I read once about a miner.

“During the California gold rush a man sells all his owned and went prospecting for gold. He buys a promising mine and begins his life as a gold miner. The miner mined diligently for a few years, getting enough gold to cover his expenses but nothing as promising as he originally thought. He had had enough, so he sold his mine and all his equipment and gave up his gold mining dreams. The man he sold the mine to had a hunch to continue mining the same spot for a specific amount of time and just three feet later the man struck gold. If the miner had only stuck with it a few more feet he would have been a very wealthy man.” – Anonymous

Moral of the story: Perseverance, is there a chance you are stopping three feet away from striking gold? Or may be the gold was not meant to be his?

Perseverance is a virtue everyone going into business, a career, relations, an exercise plan and life in general should have. You need to have the patience and good judgment to do the things you need in life to succeed. However, in life there comes a time when you have to pack up all you have got and done and move on because your current path is just not working.

At what point does perseverance stop and the reality of your current situation becomes the focus? When is it time to move on?

When people ask me, whether it is time to quit, I ask the following questions:

Quit a Business

How long have you been doing this?

Are you starving?*

Is your family starving?*

Are you about to lose your home?*

How much time are you devoting to the situation at hand?

Are you doing all you can do to make this a success?

How much money have you poured into the venture?

Do you love what you do?

Can you go on for a little while longer?

Do you have a “Plan B”?

Can you get a job and turn this current venture into a part time job? (I always use this option because most of the time you just have to shift focus from your dreams to your reality). A lot of people work several jobs and a lot of people have jobs to support their dreams. The truth is only a lucky few can drop everything to start a business.

Is this particular venture an excuse for not doing your best or a form of procrastination?*

(*) If you answered yes to these questions in the business section then it is time to do something else.

End a relationship

Why are you asking this question?

Do you love this person?*

Does this person love you?*

Do you trust this person?*

Do you respect this person?*

Are you abused in anyway, shape or form?**

Is anyone else being abused in this situation?**

Are you getting all you want from this relationship or are you settling?*

Are you afraid to leave because it is a hard thing to do?

(*) If you answered no to these questions then need to get out of this relationship.
(**) If you answered yes to these questions then you need to get out of this relationship

All Other Questions

What benefits are you getting out of it?

What would happen if you ended it?

Perseverance works hand in hand with setting goals that are well defined, specific, measurable and with realistic deadlines.

You are working with information you have researched and understand the amount of work required for completion of the goal. You know what outcomes you expect. In a relationship, you expect respect, no sign of abuse, requited love and you must be happy. If you don’t have what you need in a relationship then don’t even try perseverance but only you can tell what benefits you are getting from a relationship and only you will know when it is time to stop.

In a business, you expect to have certain systems in place in order for your business to get off the ground and start running. You know what you need to do to get people to use your service. You know how much money you expect to spend and make from that business. With every goal you set, you set a deadline for when you expect your goals to be accomplished, then you decide if you want to tag on a month, two months or one year to the goal. Anytime beyond that point, well, it may just be time to check-out.

All in all, perseverance is a question of choice: When do you chose to stop?