When to quit: decision-making and timing

Business

The Dip

The book "The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches you When to Quit (and When to Stick)" by Seth Godin is a different kind of self-help book that actually instructs readers when to quit what they are doing and try something new. That is unusual for a self-help book because most of them strive to be "positive," while quitting is not usually considered a positive way to deal with life and life's struggles. However, this short, to the point book, instructs people on how to quit when it is the right time, and how to assess when it is the right time to quit any endeavor, whether it is personal or business related.

The ultimate point of this book is right on the first page. The author writes, "Winner quit all the time. They just quit the right stuff at the right time" (Godin 3). While most self-help books are all about telling you how to keep going during adversity, Godin takes a more realistic approach. He encourages people to quit when they are at the right point to quit, and to move on to something else that motivates and stimulates them. "The Dip" is that low point in any endeavor when it just becomes a struggle, when it used to be a joy and exciting. Everyone hits dips, and everyone can come out of them. However, sometimes, it might be a better choice to move on to something else, rather than remaining in a Dip and the doldrums.

The thing you have to do is assess whether the Dip, or getting out of the Dip, is worth the hassle, and what the rewards are. The author equates dips to temporary setbacks. Sometimes, you just have to keep pushing to get out of the Dip and back on track. However, sometimes they are "cul-de-sacs," where you simply go around and around with no way out. You have to be able to assess what kind of Dip you are in, and what you need to do to get out, and that is what the author teaches in this book.

The book is valuable for just about anyone because everyone runs into those dead-ends at least sometimes in life, whether it is with a job, a relationship, or even an investment. What is more valuable is that the author notes you have to be continually aware of dips, because others will throw them your way, whether they are work or personally related. He uses the example of Microsoft, who has constructed "Dips so deep" that it is almost impossible to scale them and compete with them. He notes that some high-tech companies have been able to do that by altering platforms and uses for products (like Apple), but others have recognized they do not have the resources necessary to bridge that Dip, and have moved on to other areas of technology. (Think Google, who dominates the Internet search market, while Microsoft is essentially absent in that area.) the author urges readers to understand what they are extremely good at, and keep achieving, while recognizing the things they are not so good at, and quitting those to concentrate on what things where they can truly excel.