Studies under the expanding umbrella of positive psychology tell us that we have Hope when our goal is supported by self-efficacy and self agency (Snyder). So goal setting is good and having the means to get there and knowing how well we are succeeding are all good (Latham). Resilience is a big help because it keeps us on the treadmill no matter what calamity befalls us and we keep trying (Reivich & Shatte). Seligman tells us that we need to know when to give up something, to reframe and know what we can control and change and what we cannot, etc so that we don’t go crazy with anxiety or erode our self-esteem believing that we are helpless and by extension, also hopeless.

Many new inventions and creations depend on the originators going past what was thought to be impossible i.e. beyond their direct control. So it seems that Optimism -Hope’s sunny sidekick, is a definite plus and Resilience re-traces hope each time that it falters and wanes. But what if that hope and optimism was misplaced? Or the methods used to get to something were wrong? Then the person gets discouraged unless he is Thomas Edison.

Thomas Edison practised 9,999 times to succeed!  How did he know that he would succeed? Was it his optimism or his confidence? Who would try doing something 10,000 times?

There are also some of us who are more gungho or more resilient than others. Then the question is when or how does a person determine when to quit? Or change goal? Or change method? How do we teach or coach someone to be able to discern that moment of ‘abandon ship’ when we are no longer in their lives as teachers or coaches?

In school, we were taught to persevere. If we failed to do well, it was usually attributed to lack of effort or aptitude. Our results were somewhat within our control and we would find out all too soon whether our malaise had been noticed. Then our parents or teachers stepped in to ‘raise’ our standards. 

Take my 10 year old practising for her music exam. The time frame is finite and the combination of effort and level of skill leads to quite predictable results. I nag and cajole, bribe and scold, etc her to keep up the practices even though it has been 6 months since she had learned and repeatedly played through the pieces. We keep going through ‘flow’ and ‘blockages’ because we know what’s coming - we hold informed expectations. We don’t give up because we know that the end is near.

But what if I wanted to pursue something for which I have less certainty in the outcome and timeframe for completion? Do I push on doggedly no matter what and wait for a miracle to happen? Particularly when omnipresent sceptics and critics thrive on reminding me how futile my efforts are or how misguided I am. To these persecutors, my resilience is viewed as stubbornness and my vision deemed an obsession. Then the gremlin hops around my consciousness and whispers ‘quit while the going is good’ or ‘what makes you think you are different?’ and other choice forebodings loom in that same negative light.

Do we dig in our heels with determination and face up to challenges and letdowns with resilience? Or should we ‘grow up’ and put aside our foollhardiness? Have you ever been there in that dark corner by yourself? I have. I thought about how I made decisions on what to follow through and which ones to quit, and figured that I had probably asked myself questions such as these:

* Does it really matter in the long run (considering that in the long run we are all dead)? Would it, in Topol’s words (Fiddler on the Roof) spoil some vast eternal plan? The answers would range from ‘Yea who cares?’ through ‘It matters to me’ to ‘it could make a difference to the way of the world’.

* Am I enjoying what I am doing? Do I wake up eager to re-engage myself in the task at hand?  Do I lose myself to what I am doing? Do I experience flow states - is the tension drawn between my abilties and the challenge strong enough to temporarily suspend even ‘me’ ? (Csikszentmihalyi)

* Am I just chasing a whimsical dream or is this dogged pursuit in line with my life goals? Is there congruence with my belief system and values? What higher purpose does it serve? Would it be meaningful when I look back age and ages hence? Does it add or minus from my authenticity? Note: Seligman’s description of pleasure being temporary while meaning is more longterm in Authentic Happiness.

* Being a erstwhile economist, I tend to examine the opportunity cost. Is it worth the sacrifice or is it mere reallocation of resources? Here, the relative values I place on different areas of my life weigh in on the answers.

• Note, however that the actual amount of time required is irrelevant. Whether or not I do choose to do something that takes 5 years, I would be still become 5 years older in the future. However relationships may suffer and that counts for something (with me). 

*Do I go all out - do or die? Or do I set a timeout marker to trigger re-evaluation of the goal or a review of the situation? If so, what conditions may make the continued pursuit of the goal untenable? Or is this something that I would rather die trying than give up never knowing if I could have done it? The question here is again ‘will I look back in regret someday?’ (Vaillant)

• My worst enemy is self talk - Reivich and Shatte tells us that our internal ticker tape unrelentingly regurgitates fodder for rumination and self-incrimination. The things I tell myself could well destroy the meaning in my past, rip all pleasure from my present and confuse my sense of purpose going forward.

* Have I tried all avenues? Do I know deep in my gut that I need to apply more pressure on myself to keep at this project? (Baumeister).

I am sure there were more questions for I live with an internal Gestapo. Thankfully and gratefully, I have few regrets in life - determination and resilience have paid off handsomely and foolhardiness is typically weeded out with minor ego bruises. Perhaps it also helps that I am one of the lucky ones born with a flow personality looking at life sunnyside up.

 What about you? How do you decide when/what to stick with and when/on what to cut your losses?

Helpful readings.

1. Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind.
2. Latham, G.  (2003). Goal-setting: A five-step approach to behavior change.
3. Reivich,K. & Shatte, A. (2002) The resilience factor.
4. Seligman, M.E.P., (1994). What you can change and what you can’t
5. Seligman, M.E.P., (2002). Authentic Happiness
6. Vaillant, G. (1998). Ageing Well.
7. Baumeister, R. F., Gailliot, M., DeWall, C. N., Oaten, M. (2006) Self-Regulation and Personality: How Interventions Increase Regulatory Success, and How Depletion Moderates the Effects of Traits on Behavior
8. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience