When to Try, When to Double Down, and When to Let Go in Life.

It’s important to note that success is not entirely in our hands. What is in our hands is the process. So, how do we process it smartly to figure out whether success is possible or not? After all, what's the point of putting effort into the wrong direction? This is a very critical thing because 99.9% of people fail not because they don’t work hard, but because they don’t work in the right direction. Working smart is also a form of hard work. Knowing where to put in the effort is what defines smart work.

Everything begins with how we think. It’s important to understand while doing any task—why we are doing it, what we are doing, how long to do it, and when to stop. How do we know this? Let’s dive deeper.

Whenever we do anything, we do it for two reasons: either we act based on emotions or we act based on analysis of data and facts. The majority of people act on emotions, and very few people act on facts and data. It’s essential to recognize that while emotions are important, knowing how to analyze data and facts is critical.

How do we analyze data and facts? How do we decide whether a situation or decision is worth pursuing?

Firstly, always connect your work to numbers. Understand how many people are already doing what you are doing and how they are doing it. What makes your effort stand out? In business, for example, think about how many people are already in your field and how many are operating at a higher level. What will make your product successful? Why will people buy from you? This requires thinking from all angles.

In life, questions are more important than answers. If you have questions, you have a path. The biggest rule of life is that answers come from questions. Without questions, there are no answers. So, you must always question your decisions and situations from all angles. Once you start linking things with numbers, you gain clarity. But remember, this is still only a prediction. Even economists, who work with data, understand that there’s always a degree of uncertainty.

You need to think deeply about your next step if something doesn’t work out. What will your next move be? How will you increase your chances of success? This is where confidence comes from—knowing what you are doing and why you are doing it. Then, you’ll know when to stop, when to speed up, and when to double your efforts.

Achieving clarity means that you have done all the calculations, and you know what your next steps will be if things don’t go according to plan. You must always be prepared to answer why your work will succeed, what you are doing differently, and how you will adjust if needed.

Now, practically speaking, I’ll share what I do. I take time out once or twice a day to sit and think without any distractions. I reflect on what I am doing, why I am doing it, and whether there is a better way to do it. This is the time when I seek clarity.

That’s all for now. We will meet again as the journey is long because we are on the path to understanding the peak of our understanding.