The Dip by Seth Godin

"Quit the wrong things. 

Persevere with the right ones. 

Have the courage to do either."

― Seth Godin

This little book is a must-read for everyone. It's a quick lesson (quick to read, not to understand and make it your own), in which Seth Godin wants to show how to decide when to quit (and quitting it could be your next best decision).

But there's the catch, I thought quitting was always the same (my bad, and that's why I try to read as much as possible),  but in reality there is a difference between a strategic quit and a reactive quit (the kind that happens late in the day when you're frustrated and can't achieve your goal). 

The "model" of the book could be represented by this image below (for which I wanna give credit to "Buy The Drip")

When pursuing a goal, we face struggles and difficulties along the way, but not every struggle is the same, and it will not lead to the same ending. Sometimes it's the signal that is the right moment to quit, and sometimes it's the signal that you have to keep pushing. 

In this book, three different situations are presented:

1. The Dip

At the start of any new venture, you often get extremely positive feedback and see a rapid learning curve. But then you hit The Dip: a long, demanding period of hard work with little to show for it. This phase is essential for becoming a master of your craft.

The more difficult The Dip is, the greater your opportunity to stand out from the competition (because they'll be more likely to quit). If you give up in the face of adversity, all your effort becomes pointless. In a competitive environment, adversity is your greatest ally. Without The Dip, you would be easily replaceable.

2. The Cul-de-Sac

This is the situation where you work, but nothing happens. There are no significant improvements and no significant setbacks. You're just working.

You must get out of a Cul-de-Sac as soon as possible. Investing in something that can't improve has too high a cost in terms of lost opportunities (It's a matter of opportunity cost).

3. The Cliff

It is a situation where continued effort leads to eventual, catastrophic failure, often due to addictive or unsustainable behaviours (smoking). It's characterised by a sharp, irreversible decline after a period of apparent success or stability. 

The major obstacle to quitting is the fear of giving up. Being mediocre is easier than facing reality and accepting the truth. Giving up is hard because it forces you to accept that you'll never be the best in the world, at least not in that particular endeavour. And in a society that pushes everyone to be great, to be the number one or die trying, on average, people prefer to pretend everything is fine, postpone the inevitable, avoid admitting their inadequacy, and settle for mediocrity.

7 Reasons Why You Might Not Become the Best in the World:

1. You run out of time (and you quit).
2. You run out of money (and you quit).
3. You get scared (and you quit).
4. You don't take it seriously enough (and you quit).
5. You lose interest, enthusiasm, or settle for mediocrity (and you quit).
6. You think short-term instead of long-term (and you quit when short-term difficulties arise).
7. You're trying to be the best in the wrong field (one for which you don't have the necessary talent).

And I'm guilty of quitting for every one of those reasons.

Conclusion

Sometimes we need a new perspective on something, and this book did this for me. A new way of thinking about giving up, and a new lens to be used when reflecting or analysing your life.
Strongly recommended!