Friday, May 6, 2011

On Giving Up

"A withdrawal", Wikipedia says, "is a type of military operation, generally meaning retreating forces back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to consolidate forces, to occupy ground that is more easily defended, or to lead the enemy into an ambush."



In today's world, giving up is seen as a sign of weakness or laziness, when in reality, the ability to give up on a tactical level is a fantastic skill to have.  Cal Newport taught me to "learn to give up", and it's really something others ought to learn as well.

So when does tactical retreat become laziness? When your retreat gives you no advantage, nor takes away advantage from an opponent. at that point, you're only hurting yourself.

11 comments:

  1. Heh, I feel like we have a new Webster dictionary term here. Retreat: When running away gives you no advantage and hurts yourself.

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  2. Good post, I don't necessarily think that a retreat means your lazy.

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  3. Nice post, didn't think about it that way.

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  4. Put in an excellent way. Sometimes retreats are necessary... sometimes they aren't.

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  5. I'm not one to give up on things so easily. Sometimes you have to, though. No need to be stubborn.

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  6. Never thought of it this way until now, thanks

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