If your plan isn't working, adjust your plan. Never give up. — Matt Martin

If your plan isn't working, adjust your plan. Never give up.

Author: Matt Martin

Insight: We often treat our plans like they're carved in stone—sacred blueprints that failure means we weren't committed enough. But the truth is messier and more human than that. The real strength isn't in stubbornly marching forward on a path that's stopped working; it's in having the clarity to notice when something isn't landing, then the courage to change course without feeling like you've failed. This matters more now because so much advice tells us to "stay the course" or "push through." But there's a crucial difference between pushing through temporary discomfort and blindly repeating something that's fundamentally not working. A diet that makes you miserable, a job search strategy with zero results, a relationship dynamic that keeps hurting—these aren't situations where more willpower helps. What helps is honest diagnosis and adjustment. The non-obvious part? Adjusting your plan often requires more self-awareness than sticking with it. It means admitting something isn't working, getting specific about why, and staying flexible without just giving up at the first sign of difficulty. That balance—between persistence and adaptation—is where real resilience lives.