I am not a US Citizen and whilst I am aware of the election process in the USA and I hold personal views about my preference for the outcome, a discussion of that is not the purpose of this post.
Today, in his blog, Seth Godin talks about sunk costs, quitting and the value of your brand.
http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/2123/26930028 rel=”nofollow”
As I read, it occurred to me how true his message is in all domains of life, not just business.
Seth says ‘It doesn’t matter how much time or money or effort you’ve invested in something, if that project no longer makes economic sense, you should stop.’
I think we can remove the word ‘economic’ or at least substitute it with another adjective for the sentence to make perfect sense.
When a relationship no longer makes emotional sense, it is time to stop.
When a job is no longer satisfying, it is time to stop.
When a hobby is no longer fulfilling, it is time to stop.
As Seth points out in his book, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
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Mmmm — Yes. The game of life — it certainly is a gamble.
Reading this post made me think of that great song that Kenny Rogers made so famous — The Gambler .. Here are those lyrics.
And your last post was also right on the money (in keeping with the gambling metaphores…
)
Wishing you peace —
On a warm summer’s evenin on a train bound for nowhere,
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin out the window at the darkness
til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
He said, son, Ive made a life out of readin peoples faces,
And knowin what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
So if you don’t mind my sayin, I can see you’re out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey I’ll give you some advice.
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, if you’re gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.
You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you’re sittin at the table.
There’ll be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
Now evry gambler knows that the secret to survivin
Is knowin what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
cause evry hands a winner and evry hands a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.
So when he’d finished speakin, he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.
You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you’re sittin at the table.
There’ll be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count you r money when youre sittin at the table.
There’ll be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
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