This little book teaches you when to stick and when to quit. The fundamental idea behind the book is about quitting. Winners never quit and quitters never win is actually bad advice. Winners, in fact, quit all the time, but they do it very strategically. Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt.
The Dip
At the beginning when we try to do something new there’s a surge of excitement and motivation which lasts for a couple of weeks and then the dip happens. We hit a roadblock somewhere along the way, and it seems like there’s no point in continuing. This is the dip. Anything worth achieving in life has a dip.
When we hit the dip, it feels like we’re spending a lot of time and not getting anything out of it, which is normal. We need to realize that we are taking the time to learn something new and reinventing and rebuilding ourselves, which should take a lot of time.
If you’re facing the dip, you’re probably on the right path. Knowing that you’re facing the dip is the first step in getting through it.
The Dip is the long slog between starting and mastery. The Dip is the long stretch between beginner’s luck and real accomplishment. When you hit the dip, do this.
Quit the wrong stuff.
Stick with the right stuff.
Have the guts to do one or the other.
The Dip separates those who really want it to those who merely do. If there was no dip, then everyone would be at the top. Recognize that there will always be a dip.
Successful people don’t just ride out the dip they push harder, lean into it and get through to the other side. Don’t just survive but thrive in the dip.
There’s opportunity in the dip. If you can keep going when the system is expecting you to stop, you will achieve extraordinary results. The dip creates scarcity, and scarcity is worth rewarding.
Cul-de-sac
The Cul-de-sac is French for a dead-end. It’s a situation where you work and you work and nothing changes. It doesn’t get better or worse, it’s just the way it is. That’s why they call such jobs dead-end jobs.
If you are facing a Cul-de-sac, you need to quit immediately. Cul-de-sacs don’t just magically change for the better. It just doesn’t happen.
Have the guts to quit when facing a cul-de-sac.
The Cliff
Rare, but scary. It covers addictive behaviors such as smoking. It’s a situation where you can’t quit until you fall off and the whole thing falls apart. Once you start its hard stopping. The pain of quitting just gets bigger and bigger over time, that’s why most people have trouble Quitting.
If you’re facing the cul-de-sac or the cliff, you need to quit. Not soon, but right now.
When to Quit and When to Stick
We need to be self-aware of what we’re good at and when to push through. The Dip is inevitable, it’s always going to be there. Life is testing you at this stage, asking you if you really want it. Don’t give up when you hit the dip, push through it, and get to the other side.
If you want to quit, quit right in the beginning, or better yet, see it through. Never make the mistake of quitting at the dip. Grit it out and push through. Hold on when others have let go. The odds of success are exponentially high at this stage. Quitting at the dip is just a waste of a lot of time and resources. Always remind yourself of the finish line in sight so you don’t quit when you hit the dip.
The short-term pain has a significant impact on most people than the long-term benefits do, which is why it is important to amplify the long-term benefits of not quitting at the dip.
Don’t diversify when you hit the dip. Real Success goes to those who obsess. Seth Godin shares a fantastic example where a woodpecker can tap twenty times on a thousand trees and get nowhere but stay busy. Or he can tap twenty-thousand times on one tree and get dinner.
“Quit or be exceptional average is for losers.”
Seth Godin
