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Persistence is something I鈥檝e always valued. It鈥檚 what gets you through the tough times, helps you tackle challenges and keeps you moving forward when everyone else might鈥檝e already thrown in the towel.

Recently, I had a wake-up call that might just be a useful lesson for Seattle鈥檚 transportation leaders as they grapple with the future of the South Lake Union Streetcar.

Let鈥檚 rewind to 1984. I was that awkward kid at Mt. Rainier Computer Camp, totally out of my depth, but I walked away with the perseverance award. Not because I was the smartest, but because I just didn鈥檛 quit. That little trophy was a badge of honor, proof that if you stick with something long enough, you鈥檒l eventually figure it out. Or so I thought.

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Then, I ran into something that made me rethink my whole stance on perseverance 鈥� an app called . For the past 511 days, I鈥檝e been using this app to learn Spanish. Every single day, without fail, I鈥檇 log in, do my lesson and feel that small sense of accomplishment.

You see, Duolingo doesn鈥檛 just encourage you to keep learning; it shames you into it. Miss a day, and the app will remind you incessantly that you鈥檙e about to break your streak. It鈥檚 like having a tiny, digital owl perched on your shoulder, constantly whispering, “Don鈥檛 screw this up.”

So, for the past year and a half, I let that little owl run my life. I did my lessons, kept my streak alive and felt like I was doing something meaningful. But here鈥檚 the thing 鈥� recently, those lessons started getting harder.

What used to be a five-minute exercise in language learning turned into a 20, even 30-minute ordeal. The app鈥檚 instructions were minimal, confusing even, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn鈥檛 pass the tests. I was stuck. And I started to ask myself, 鈥淲hy am I putting myself through this?鈥�

That鈥檚 when it hit me: I鈥檓 not 9 years old anymore. I鈥檓 not at computer camp trying to prove I can handle BASIC programming. I鈥檓 an adult, and I don鈥檛 need this kind of pressure in my life. I don鈥檛 need to be guilt-tripped by a piece of software. And that鈥檚 when I made a decision I never thought I鈥檇 make.

I quit.

I stopped using Duolingo. My 511-day streak went up in flames, and guess what? The world didn鈥檛 end. My life didn鈥檛 fall apart. In fact, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. It was like I finally gave myself permission to say, “Enough is enough.”

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And this got me thinking about the South Lake Union Streetcar 鈥� Seattle鈥檚 very own version of my Duolingo streak. The city has poured millions into this shiny project, but after years of operation, only about 500 people are using it each day. Meanwhile, the costs keep piling up. This, my friends, is what we call the sunk-cost fallacy 鈥� the idea that because you鈥檝e already spent so much, you鈥檝e got to keep throwing good money after bad, hoping it鈥檒l somehow turn around.

Spoiler alert: It won鈥檛.

Mike Lindblom at The Seattle Times that there鈥檚 growing skepticism among city leaders about the streetcar. Some are suggesting that a bus line might be a smarter, cheaper alternative. And they鈥檙e right. But admitting that means facing the uncomfortable truth: The streetcar project is a bust. And no one likes admitting they鈥檝e backed a losing horse.

But here鈥檚 the thing 鈥� sometimes, quitting isn鈥檛 a sign of failure; it鈥檚 a sign of sanity. It鈥檚 recognizing that just because you鈥檝e invested time, money or pride into something, doesn鈥檛 mean you have to keep doubling down on a losing bet. Seattle doesn鈥檛 need a fancy, underused streetcar. It needs something practical and effective 鈥� like a bus line that actually serves more than a handful of people without breaking the bank.

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So, here鈥檚 my advice to Seattle鈥檚 transportation leaders: Take a cue from my Duolingo experience. I plan to try a different language-learning app, perhaps one that is not as flashy 鈥� or frustrating 鈥� as the one I had been using.

Sometimes, the best move you can make is to say “adios” to a bad idea. Let go of the South Lake Union Streetcar and put those resources into something that benefits the city. Because clinging to a failing project out of stubbornness or pride? That鈥檚 no bueno.

It may be time to say goodbye to the streetcar, and hello to a solution that actually works. Sometimes, the smartest decision is knowing when to quit, and that鈥檚 a lesson worth learning.

Charlie Harger is the News Director for MyNorthwest.com and 成人X站 Newsradio