One of the many challenges of starting something new — like a business, a career, or a project — is that the gestation period can be unknown.

The time needed to gain sufficient skill, customers, market share, or reputation could be weeks or it could be years.

Investors may have a clear sense of whether something is on track or taking too long. But for many of our endeavors, it’s up to us to determine the acceptable timeline.

Quit or persist? It’s a question that deserves periodic revisiting in nearly everything we do.