If you were a banker...

For how long would you continue investing in something where the Return On the Investment was negative?

The key to energy leakage is to always have a positive ROI. Invest energy, but always make sure you get more energy back than your initial investment. Using your body reserves or using external energy, e.g. a friend, is a fatal mistake that longterm will lead demolition and unhappiness.

An analogy that I happened to come across just now. Meaningful coincidence.