thecareerbeat.com Blog

Sometimes you gotta ditch a goal

August 17, 2008 on 4:42 pm | In inspiration | No Comments

I am so enjoying watching the Olympics. The athletes are so inspiring, not only with their achievements but also their dedication to their goals of winning.

I’m definitely a goal-oriented person, and I see in the Olympians much that I can learn from. But sometimes you have to let go of goals to get ahead, which is underscored in this thought-provoking column in yesterdays’ NYT, “Winner Never Quit? Well, Yes, They Do.”

The author makes a good case that goals — in your professional life, for example — are great, but one’s attitude toward them shouldn’t always be “Quitters never win.”

I think all professionals should read the piece, which ends with a great quote from W.C. Fields: “If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.”