WITH THE speed at which we live our lives today, we expect things to happen quickly. When they don’t, we use it as an excuse to dump the idea and move on to the next thing. One of the secrets to success is knowing early on when to dump a project, so in many cases this is the right action; on the other hand, it may just be a habit.

New ideas thrill me. Doing the spreadsheets with all the numbers and seeing the possibility thrills me even more. The reality is always something different. Sticking it out to make them happen is a bit like keeping that New Year’s resolution: great for a week or two, or a month or two, but then the excuses start to flood in. My brief parting of the Red Sea collapses while I’m still making the crossing, and the project drowns in my reasons why not.

It’s seldom the idea, but the execution of it, that leads to success. So dump the habit, the addiction to the thrill of new ideas, and bind yourself to the mast of the one you have, and make it work, no matter what. Out of this commitment, you’ll find what’s missing to make it work.