I am always encouraging my kids to finish what they start, but sometimes that is the wrong advice.
Below is a photo of a sketch I was working on. I am not an artist, it was just for a bit of fun. I started this a couple of days ago and at first I was quite enthusiastic about it, but after putting it down I realized that I was not really that inspired by the scene. Yes, I could go on and finish it and it might turn out OK, but what is the point? It seems far more sensible to stop, put this aside and start another sketch. Perhaps one which I will enjoy more and hence will be a better standard!
So, am I giving up too easily? Have I failed at a task I set myself? I don’t think I have, I think it is a matter of maximising my enjoyment of my free time.
So if you know someone who is walking away from a challenge, before you judge them be sure to ascertain two things: what are the benefits of finishing? What are they replacing it with? Sometime encouraging someone to finish what they have started is delaying them from starting something they are more passionate about and could also leave them questioning their own decisions.
Knowing when to stop is not giving up.
