When Quitting is Winning

Godin says that there are many people who would otherwise be considered a success if they weren’t spinning their wheels in what they believe they should stay doing. He says that sometimes, we commit ourselves to completing a project or staying with a company or relationship only to discover later that the situation has stagnated and there is no potential for real growth. This is what Godin calls a “Cul-de-Sac.”

Success lies in recognizing a situation or relationship as a Cul-de-Sac and not being afraid to quit when you do. All Cul-de-Sacs do is drain your energy and resources, diverting your attention away from making it through a worthwhile Dip.

The Takeaway: Identify the Cul-de-Sac. When the going gets tough, it is time to reexamine your goals and mission statement. It is time to study to find out if you are in a Cul-de-Sac or a Dip. You may find that yes, perseverance is required, or no, you should quit and go on to something better.

Godin describes the Dip as the long, hard period between beginning something new and finally mastering it. It’s after the excitement of those first beginning days has worn off and before the fulfillment of your dream. It is the point between starting something and excelling at it. Another way to look at it is the stretch from beginner to expert, or mile 20 in a marathon, or the realization that it takes time, effort, and skill to get better.

While the Dip may seem long and painful, the good news is that it’s actually a shortcut to success. The Dip weeds out the competition and is also is the point at which many give up. Those who survive the Dip receive the big rewards. Godin gives Stephen King, Starbucks, and Microsoft as examples.

The Takeaway: Endure the Dip. Godin states that the secret to dealing with the Dip is to figure out beforehand if you’re willing to see your project all the way through and if it’s worth doing. If you’re not willing or the pay-off isn’t big enough, quit before you enter the Dip.

Sounds simple enough, right? We all have been in Cul-de-Sacs and some of us have made it through the Dips before. The key is to know what both look like so you are not wasting your time in the Cul-de-Sac when you think you are pushing through the Dip. But once the Dip is recognized, we need to give it our all to rise out of the Dip. That doesn’t always happen as Godin says, “Worse, when faced with the Dip, sometimes we don’t quit. Instead, we get mediocre.”

According to Godin, the Dip is not always easy to spot. However, if you are passionate about being number one at something, you continue climbing until you reach the goal. That is busting through the Dip. If it is a Cul-de-Sac, Godin says you will know it based on the lack of passion you have in that task, job, or relationship.

A final quote from Godin best sums up the need for learning about going through the Dip or just quitting: “I’d rather have you focus on quitting (or not quitting) as a go-up opportunity. It’s not about avoiding the humiliation of failure. Even more important, you can realize that quitting the stuff you don’t care about or the stuff you’re mediocre at or better yet quitting Cul-de-Sacs frees up your resources to obsess about the Dips that matter.”