We have to stop doing what doesn’t work. Society has conditioned us to believe that we should keep trying harder and harder and if we try hard enough, whatever we’re doing will eventually work. The relationship, the promotion, that business venture, etcetera and if it’s not working, we’re not trying hard enough. Well, that’s bullsh*t. Sometimes no matter how hard we try, some things just aren’t going to work. Ever. So, here’s why we have to stop doing what doesn’t work:
It’s a Waste of Time
When we continue to do what doesn’t work, we waste time. Now, it’s one thing to stick with something that’s progressing slowly, versus something that isn’t making any progress at all. Time is our greatest asset; once it’s gone we can’t get it back. Since our time is so precious, we certainly don’t have any of it to waste on things that don’t work.
It’s Exhausting
Wasting time on what’s not working is exhausting. There’s something physically deflating about continuing to put effort into something that’s not making any progress. When I had my t-shirt line I would vendor at a lot of pop-up events. Those events required a lot of my time and energy. Oftentimes, however, I’d be lucky to recoup my vendor costs. Clearly, my t-shirt line wasn’t working. After a number of uneventful pop-up events and a year and a half of abysmal online sales, you know what I was? Exhausted. That’s exactly what happens when we continue to do what doesn’t work.
It F*cks with Our Confidence
If progress builds our confidence, lack of progress breaks it down. When we continue to do what doesn’t work, it f*cks with our confidence. Whether we realize it or not, we begin to subconsciously believe that something is wrong with us when we can’t make something happen. A lot of times that lack of confidence spills over into other areas of our lives. Letting go of something that’s not working doesn’t make us quitters, it makes us wise. Continuing to do something that doesn’t work doesn’t serve any of us.
It Doesn’t Serve Us
We do ourselves a huge disservice when we continue to plug away at something that’s not working. Honestly, what else could we be doing with that time and those resources? When we continue to try to make something out of what’s not working it doesn’t serve us. We’re essentially pouring our time and energy into a black hole, where we’ll never see it again. We can’t be afraid to cut our losses and move on when we see what we’re doing isn’t working. We can’t get caught up in other people’s opinion about us quitting or failing. In the end, we owe it to ourselves to put that time and effort into something that will produce results.
It’s Insanity
I’m pretty sure we’re all familiar with this saying: “Continuing to do the same thing over and over, expecting different results is insanity.” When we keep trying to make happen what hasn’t worked, expecting different results, we’re engaged in insane behavior.
What are some reasons why we should stop doing what doesn’t work? Drop a comment below.