Lama Ole’s answer:
Nobody benefits if you are feeling bad. Thus you should think that your decision is ultimately for the benefit of all beings. But you also have to be sure that you don’t run away from anything.
The only sins we don’t forgive ourselves are those we haven’t committed. Never avoid something out of anxiety or the wish to escape life. We should work on ourselves and shouldn’t act out of weakness. For example, the family has been living on social welfare for years, and you get a chance to change the situation by passing some exam. If you then suddenly were to think that you’re incapable of it, that would be cowardly; that is character destroying. You simply have to get through it, even if it means falling flat on your face. It is like bungee jumping: if you have climbed up, then you also have to jump. Otherwise, you can’t look into the mirror later. There are situations where one simply has to do what is to be done.
But there are also other situations where we don’t change our opinion out of fear or weakness, but instead we simply realize that we have been on the wrong track and we do something else instead. That’s completely all right.
But the best approach is to finish one thing and then move on to the next. That is good style! And one takes the time needed for each task as a gift to oneself. This way one can always take previous experiences into the next situation and benefit from them.