In chess, you sometimes give up your queen to win. Know what the real goal is.

Losing something valuable is only a loss if it was the thing you were trying to keep. Confusion between the assets and the objective is what makes people defend a title, a role or a position long after it stopped serving the actual aim. The strongest piece on the board is still only a piece.

Write down what you are actually trying to achieve, then check what you have been protecting against it. Ask what you would give up if the goal were the only thing that mattered. Sometimes what you guard hardest is what stands in the way.