Last week, I came across a quote by Zig Ziglar, “Don’t get discouraged; it is often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.” This has been true for me on more than one occasion. Very often, my first or even second effort would result in failure. But I kept going and eventually, I would find the right combination. It is said that Edison experienced 1,000 failures before the finally got the lightbulb to work. Just as the quote says, sometimes the last thing we try is the thing that works – or the last key in the bunch, as it were.
There are times, however, when it is time to quit. Years ago, I created a new business with which I struggled for over 6 years. Each year, the business put me more and more into debt. At the end of the year, it was certain that this year would be the one – this would be the year that it all came together. But again and again, it did not. I found myself working 50 to 60 hours a week on the business for very minimal reward. I tried everything I could think of to market the business, but alas, no luck. Finally, I decided to close it down and instead focus on something else. It was the best thing that I ever did.
So if you have a venture that simply does not seem to be taking off and instead, is taking up all of your time and money, and leads to nothing but frustration and disappointment, it might be prudent to ask yourself whether it’s time to give up and move on to something with more promise and potential.
While the last key in the bunch often does open the lock, there is no sense in continuing to pay a loan on a dead horse.
Photo courtesy of nasacommons
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