Momentum, Continuity, Commitment

I got quite some feedback about a previous post about career choices. In particular about the idea of quitting as the hardest decision.

We live under the constant pressure of success. The definition of success is unclear, for some is money, for others it’s the job title they have, others find success in the relationship with the loved ones. But we all agree that strength is the key to success..

We celebrate momentum, continuity, commitment. Which makes sense if we consider life as a straight path, where the goal is clearly located at the end of it and the only action required is to keep going.

The truth is that our goals, even when well determined, are never in sight. They are not at the end of a straight tunnel; they tend to be somewhere hidden in a maze. The ability to navigate the maze is the real key to reaching them.

So it’s true that momentum, continuity, and commitment to the action of discovery are key to find them; the ability to make choices is crucial to be effective at solving the maze.

Real choices are never about what we pick, they are rather about what we decide to leave behind, understanding that going in one direction, precludes all the others and very often there is no turning back.

Here comes the necessity of developing the ability to quit. As soon as the condition change and new information show we are heading in the wrong direction, we need to adjust the path. Keeping the old route would be unreasonable, stupid, and plain wrong. More often that we would like to admit, the route needs to be completely recalculated and letting go is the most reasonable choice. The hardest for sure, but the best in the long run.

Only developing the ability to quit, we find the true value of momentum, continuity, and commitment on what matters now.