The value of grit has been well articulated - it’s a major predictor of success across fields.

If you want to launch a newsletter, don’t start by evaluating all of the publishing options and designing your logo. Figure out if there’s a topic you’re excited to consistently write about + whether you have an interesting take.

Set kill criteria. Pre-commit to cutting your losses with criteria to kill the deal / project / goal. This should include a state and date - if you don’t achieve X and Y by A date, you’ll pivot to something else. The pre-commitment is important here, because it’s hard to make the call to quit when you’re in the middle of something and don’t want to feel like you’re taking a loss or that you’ve wasted time on it.

“To make YouTube worth pursuing, my audience has to grow. If I can’t add 1,000 subscribers in the next month, I’ll pivot to other channels instead.”

Schedule time to re-examine the expected value of your goal. When you set a goal, you’re choosing the path that has the highest expected value of your options (based on what you know). This expected value may change if the circumstances or your preferences evolve - which is why you need to check in regularly and be honest about whether it’s still your best choice.