The Sunk Cost Fallacy Applies to Dreams Too

We readily understand the sunk cost fallacy when it comes to money — throwing good money after bad is obviously foolish. Yet we struggle to apply the same logic to our life plans. You spent a decade training for a career that makes you miserable, so you keep going because quitting would "waste" those years. You stay in a relationship because you have already invested so much.

The time is gone whether you continue or not. The only question that matters is: given where you are right now, what is the best path forward? Clinging to a dream that no longer fits you is not loyalty — it is fear wearing the mask of perseverance.