When to Stick with Something- and When to Quit - HBR

When Vontae Davis walked off the field at halftime, the Buffalo Bills were down 28-6 to the Los Angeles Chargers. But instead of huddling with teammates, the Bills cornerback quit football entirely, right then and there. Later that evening, Davis announced his retirement on social media, saying "today on the field, reality hit me hard and fast: I shouldn't be out there anymore." Many were outraged, including Bills linebacker Lorzenzo Alexander: "It's just completely disrespectful to his teammates." But some disagreed, saying Davis was "a goddamn working class hero."
While unorthodox, Davis's abrupt mid-game retirement sparked strong emotions for a variety of reasons, including a question many of us ask: How long should I stick with something? Fortunately, we don't have to rely on NFL commentators to find answers to this question.
Perseverance has received lots of support in recent years from a variety of schools of research. One is from psychologists studying grit. They have found the capacity to stick to a task -- particular when faced with difficulties - is a crucial factor in explaining the success of everyone from kids in the national spelling bee to recruits at West Point to Ivy league undergraduates.

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