If you have a clear goal and the motivation to pursue it, it’s usually wrong to quit when the going gets tough and the goal seems to be elusive. Not only do you deprive yourself of something that may be attainable with a little extra effort or a fresh way of thinking, but you also develop a behavior pattern that makes it so much easier to quit when the next challenge arises.
There is, however, a difference between quitting on a goal that you really want to pursue and being flexible enough to change your behavior rather than persisting in pursuit of a goal that is no longer meaningful to you.
Persisting in a job that no longer interests you or maintaining a friendship where you are giving much more than you are getting are activities that are absolutely draining.
Sometimes it is important to acknowledge that it is time to move on – not because you can’t continue doing what you have been doing or pursuing the goal that you had been pursuing, but because the reason for maintaining the behavior or effort no longer is important.
The critical issue is the nature of the goal or the relationship or the activity. Is it still meaningful to continue to follow in the same direction with integrity – even though it may be hard to do so? If the answer is “yes,” then don’t quit. But if the pursuit has lost its meaning, then be willing to be flexible enough to unapologetically move on.