In a previous blog, we gave you our “top 10 must-read (and listen)” list. And then some of you joined in and shared other smart reads.
Most recently, we looked at The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. This book challenges us to shift our focus from getting to giving. The idea is to put others first and work to add value to their lives. Your success is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them. The message here will remind readers of the Bible verse: “Give and you shall receive.”
Today, let’s consider a book about quitting.
This might sound a little strange since quitting has such negative connotations. I mean, who wants to be known as a “quitter”? I grew up hearing that “winners never quit and quitters never win.” And there are thousands of books on winning, leading, achieving, etc. I’ve read or listened to hundreds, and I’ve even written a few of my own.
Winning is about positivity, and quitting sounds like failure. But sometimes quitting is the way to go.
Consider the lyrics of Kenny Rogers’s hit song The Gambler from 1978 and recently in a Geico commercial. “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run.” Go to Kenny Rogers – the Gambler to keep Kenny’s advice (and voice) in your head for most of the day. You’re welcome.
But seriously, when one of my clients recommended The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin, I had to put aside my skepticism about a book about quitting. (After all, I ain’t no quitter!)
Godin says something that most of us might consider heresy: He says winners quit fast and often—and without guilt. Basically, they are smart enough (and successful enough at what they do) to realize when to stop doing something that is unproductive and not worth their time and talents.
What really sets superstars apart from everyone else, he says, is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.
Let’s drill down on this concept. Godin points out that whenever we start something new (a job, a project, a hobby, etc.) it’s usually fun and exciting. Then it gets hard and not as much fun. Then it can get real hard and obstacles might begin to seem overwhelming. That’s the “Dip.” It’s that low point when you need to decide if it’s time to quit or if you should fight through it.
Most people quit when they hit the Dip, but they stop for the wrong reasons—mainly because it’s hard. Godin focuses on the benefits of fighting through the Dip. Winners actually seek out the Dip, Godin writes. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it.
I related to this book in a big way. I’ve quit things in the past when I should have fought through the Dip. I used to videotape my blogs. I would actually go out to a client’s office or another site and have someone film the content. It was very difficult mentally, and it took a lot of time and resources.
So I quit. Years later—as in right now—a great many people have transitioned into video- and audio-based recordings of their previously written content. Had I stuck with it, I might have become an expert at this. Certainly I’d be a seasoned veteran. But I quit when I hit my Dip.
We all, at one time or another, encounter a Dip in various aspects of our lives. Maybe you stopped writing the book you’ve always wanted to write because it suddenly got real hard after the outline was written and the real work began. Perhaps you’ve wanted to finish your basement, but, after starting your home improvements with a bathroom renovation, you’ve lost momentum.
The key is figuring out if you’re in a Dip that’s worthy of your time, effort and talents. If you are, the Dip will inspire you to hang tough. If not, it will help you find the courage to quit—so you can be successful at something else.
It won’t take you long to get Godin’s concepts. The book is an easy 108-page read, and the audio book takes about an hour and a half. Read it (or listen), and you’ll learn how being a quitter sometimes can help you do what you do better.
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