WEEK 48
Day 330: On Turning Back Right at the Very End
Don’t turn back when you are just at the goal.
—Publius Syrus 331
Many people have a tendency to back out right at the end of the journey, mere steps from accomplishing their long-term goal. If they knew that success was around the corner, they would find it in themselves to keep going. However, since it’s so difficult to diagnose whether success is right around the corner or still a long way off, it happens that many throw in the towel mere seconds from their opponent falling to the ground.
To prevent such an unfortunate situation from happening, from now on assume that if you’ve been working on a given goal for a long period of time and you’re down on your knees, ready to accept defeat, it’s the last test. Stand up, brush yourself off and take a few more steps. Give yourself a week or two more and make the last effort.
If your situation doesn’t change and there’s still no success around the corner, accept a (temporary) defeat and step away to recover. If it does change and you meet success, you’ll be glad you’d used the last remnants of energy to keep going.