I hear people say that when they have made up their mind to do something, like choosing a career, that they must remain on it until the end. More often than not, people are taught that persistence is a very vital key to achieving success. While this is true, but there are times that continuing on the same direction may not even be a sign of strength. There are times that you need the courage to stop, think again, and then choose a different path. You have to understand that you can hold on to a particular mindset and still be very wrong. You can also be progressing in a path and still be wrong, and you will not arrive at the right destination. This is why you need the courage to change your mind.
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Changing your mind or changing direction does not automatically mean that you have failed at the former one. It may just simply mean that you have learnt a couple of things that you need to apply. You will agree with me that life changes, situations change, circumstances change, and people also change. A particular decision that may have seemed right a few years back may not be right today. Even a goal or an idea that once excited you in the time past may no long reflect who you are today. In life, you have to know when to continue on a path and when to consider another path. In your career, relationships, decisions, business idea, personal ambitions, etc, it should not be a case of "as it was in the beginning, so it will continue that way."
There is wisdom in knowing when a particular route is no longer leading to where you are going to. Continuing on that route will just be like progressing in futility. Imagine driving down a road only to discover that where you are going to is on the other side of the road. There is no amount of speed you drive on the wrong road that will lead you to the right destination. Or Imagine walking through a path only to discover that the path is blocked. If you continue to stand at the dead-end, it will not open up for you. What you will do is to find another path. Life may also work in the same way.
There are also times that you only need to change the route but not the destination. After all, there can be more than one way to arrive at a destination. You may have an idea of what to achieve, which is the destination. But the process, methods, and way to go about it can change with time. While the idea may remain constant, other factors like methods and processes can change with time. That you change the methods does not mean that you will not achieve the same dream. If a method does not seem to work, then there is no point remaining in it. In life, you have a lot of choices, so from time to time, try to reconsider your choices.
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One of the difficult parts of changing your mind is to recognise that your former method may not be the best. But some people, because or pride, or because of the concerns of what people will say, or because of how much they have invested, they tend to continue even when they are obviously not making significant progress. You have to know that you are the one to bear the consequences of the choices and actions you take, not the people who criticise them. Do not allow the expectations of people to become a prison for you.
It is worthy to note that changing direction does not mean that you should form a habit of making impulsive decision each time things get difficult. There is a big difference between quitting something because you are uncomfortable, and changing direction because that is the wise thing to do. Before you take a major decision in your life, take a moment to examine the reasons behind it. You can also seek for wise advice, and learn from your past experiences, then consider the consequences. There are times that perseverance might be the solution to the problem. But there are also other times that redirection might be the solution. But it takes wisdom to know the difference.
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