This Element is an excerpt from From Lemons to Lemonade: Squeeze Every Last Drop of Success Out of Your Mistakes (ISBN: 9780131362734) by Dean A. Shepherd. Available in print and digital formats.   When to pack it in! How to identify projects that are “destined to fail” no matter what you do--and move on to better opportunities and greener pastures!   With great determination, we persist in the face of obstacles and often can work our way through the tough times and ultimately achieve success. But for terminal projects--those destined to fail--determination and persistence can become a financial liability. We delay the inevitable, and this delay is costly....