No matter how well you’re doing, no matter how good things seem, don’t give up.
Seems like odd advice, but I think it’s more important than its more obvious counterpart. When you’re doing poorly, people might say “Don’t quit, no matter how badly you’re doing!” But I think that advice is less useful.
First, consider: some things you should quit. The sunk cost fallacy is real, and some things aren’t worth an additional helping of your finite time on this Earth. But second: when it’s really important, you don’t have the option to quit anyway.
The bigger danger for most people is giving up when they’re doing well. They get within sight of the finish line and they coast. They decide that they’ve got it on lock, or they decide that “close to the finish line” is good enough. In either case, they quit pushing – and then they lose.
It’s not a lock until you’re holding the money. Don’t quit, no matter how well you’re doing.
The Opportunity Machine 