But that’s not always the right course.

Much of my success came from sticking with something as others fell by the wayside. Persistence works for me and it’ll work for you.

But what if you’re wrong? Yes, sometimes I’m overcome with doubts. You are too, I suspect. We worry that the thing we’ve chosen won’t turn out to be the thing we want.

I watched a young woman quit law school after her first semester to work at Disney World. She was my hero for a while.

Sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to switch gears, walk away, and start over. It’s hard, but it’s okay.

It’s hard to step away from the law after three years in school and $100,000 of debt.

It’s hard to leave a law firm when you’ve told everyone how great it is, made friends, become proficient at getting the work done, and started living on every penny of the paycheck.

It’s hard to leave a partnership when you’ve planned it all together, become close to one another’s families, intertwined your finances, and pledged your allegiance to the effort.

It’s hard to abandon a solo business when you’ve leased a space, bragged to all your friends, and had those fancy business cards engraved.

But sometimes we have to do what’s hard. Pushing for something we no longer want makes us miserable. I’ve lost count of all the lawyers I’ve met who are suffering. They switch practice areas, join firms, quit firms, go solo, or find jobs in the government. Eventually they become miserable and make another switch, then again, then again…

“Don’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it.” — Aubrey De Grey

The time we invested in our mistakes is behind us. It’s gone. Clinging to that time doesn’t help.

The time we continue to spend – living the mistake – is what matters. It’s happening right now.

Sometimes the need to make a change is bigger than all the pieces added together. Sometimes the sunk cost is simply sunk.

Being persistent is admirable. Knowing when it’s time to stop is commendable too.