Imagine a prisoner dropped in a 4×4 c(w)ell with the good fortune of a drill in his hand and the hope of drilling his way to freedom if he were to select just one wall and one wall only. The dichotomy of the situation is that though freedom is just a 2 hr drill away selecting the wrong wall would mean him landing up with another (crookeder) inmate while just the one option gave him his freedom.
Life gives us drills at several occasions, it is for us to decide which wall to drill.
In other words, life gives us opportunities at every turn, it is for us which ones to cease and which to ignore.
We spend most of our lives drilling the wrong wall not understanding the meaning of opportunity cost.
Why not take a step back to really understand if it’s not working and choose another option – don’t just be drilling away a bad choice thinking you will get to your desired destination.
Hard work is not always a determination of success. The ability to think smart and keep pivoting your choices quickly will get you success faster.
This thought can be expressed in several ways, some may say think hard before choosing. Make an informed decision even. But sometimes in life all you get is 4 walls that look the same and there’s no way you can tell what’s the right call when you make it. But we should be smart enough to pivot when we see it not making any impact. Know when to call it quits.
The underlying message however still remains: work smart, not hard!