🕺🏻 When to Quit and When to Push Through

Every founder faces the same question: Should I keep pushing, or is it time to move on?

The traction isn’t there. The team is tired. You’re working nonstop, but nothing’s clicking. At some point, you wonder—am I being resilient or just delusional?

I’ve been there. That moment came with every startup I’ve built. The best answer comes from a Haruki Murakami quote: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

To understand that quote, you need to distinguish between pain and suffering.

Pain is a natural part of growth. It’s what you feel when doing something hard but meaningful. Marathons hurt. Working late while your friends relax hurts. Shipping a broken product is frustrating. If you believe in your work, the pain is something you’ve chosen. It has purpose and direction.

Suffering begins when pain loses choice. It creeps in when you no longer believe in what you’re doing but keep going out of fear or inertia. You’re drained, disconnected, unable to reflect. You keep moving, not because you’re pulled by a vision, but because you’re afraid to stop. That’s not grit. It’s self-sabotage.

A year ago, I was grinding on Hints day after day, and nothing worked. I wasn’t chasing results. I was chasing exhaustion to avoid facing the fear that the idea might fail. I felt helpless, like I couldn’t change anything. That was the red flag. I began blaming others, projecting frustration onto the team, and feeling sorry for myself. It wasn’t healthy. Looking back, I see it clearly: when you lose control, it’s easy to cope by focusing on others’ mistakes. But it deepens the suffering.

I took the longest break as a founder to gain distance and clarity. Upon returning, we had an honest team conversation. We admitted Hints wouldn’t ramp up. Instead of fighting windmills, we decided to pivot.

That’s when we started CRMchat. A year later, we reached break-even with a new product. The energy and clarity returned.

I’ve seen this same dynamic in relationships. Sometimes a person stays in a clearly over relationship, hoping it ends on its own to avoid making the call. Founders often do the same with startups. Suffering shows up as endless grinding without direction. You’re not building a future. You’re avoiding a decision.

One sign you’ve crossed the line is self-pity. That voice inside saying, “Why is this happening to me?” That’s your cue. You’re no longer in control. You’re stuck.

When that feeling appears, stop. Take a break. Regroup. Get back to a place where your effort comes from intention, not avoidance. You don’t need to quit forever, but you need to break the cycle.

Step back. Remember why you started. Then move forward—not from fear or fatigue, but with clarity and intention.

Until next Sunday,
George Levin
^{LinkedIn | Consulting}