I decided to stop work on a movie script that wasn’t turning out right. It was supposed to be a comedy, but it was becoming too serious, and I was becoming disenchanted with the characters and plot. So, I chose to leave the unfinished script on my hard disk and to pick up another story idea to write.
It’s OK to give up on a writing project that isn’t working. In fact, it’s OK to change your mind on a lot of things.
It’s OK to change your mind about a job. Years ago, I left a job that didn’t work out for me and found a job I enjoyed.
It’s OK to change your mind about politics. Ronald Reagan did. He went from being a New Deal Democrat to being the King of Conservatism. (I wonder how Reagan would have fared with today’s 24-hour news cycle and “no extreme is too extreme” blogosphere. He probably would have been written off as not conservative enough.)
I once advised middle school students about the importance of being flexible. When circumstances change, when you hit dead ends, when people aren’t who they say they are, you have the right to make changes. It is a strength — not a weakness — to reconsider. In a wind storm, would you rather be the reeds that bend but stay rooted, or the trees that snap at the trunk and collapse?
It’s OK to give up on a particular writing project as long as you keep writing. Or change jobs as long as you continue to pursue your career and your passions. Or change ideologies as long as you stay true to your values and principles. It’s OK to change your mind as long as you don’t change your spirit.