I learned about this book in the TV show Billions. A judge mentioned it to make a point that a lawyer shouldn’t give up so easily. Of course on my reading list it went.
This book teaches a very succinct but important difference between giving up and quitting. Turns out there is a big difference between the two. How many times did you grind through life even though you knew deep down that perhaps that goal wasn’t even worth it ? Those are the times you should consider quitting and free up time for the really important things, as you will soon learn.
Here are some of my favorite bookmarks.
I FEEL LIKE GIVING UP.
Almost every day, in fact. Not all day, of course, but there are moments.
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My bet is that you have those moments, too. If you’re the kind of high-achieving, goal-oriented person who finds herself reading a book like this,
you’re probably used to running into obstacles. Professional obstacles, personal
obstacles, even obstacles related to personal fitness or winning board games.
Most of the time, we deal with the obstacles by persevering. Sometimes we
get discouraged and turn to inspirational writing, like stuff from Vince
Lombardi: “Quitters never win and winners never quit.” Bad advice. Winners
quit all the time. They just quit the right stuff at the right time.
Most people quit. They just don’t quit successfully. In fact, many professions
and many marketplaces profit from quitters—society assumes you’re going to
quit. In fact, businesses and organizations count on it.
If you learn about the systems that have been put in place that encourage
quitting, you’ll be more likely to beat them. And once you understand the
common sinkhole that trips up so many people (I call it the Dip), you’ll be one
step closer to getting through it.
Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny minority of people who are able to
push just a tiny bit longer than most.
Extraordinary benefits also accrue to the tiny majority with the guts to quit
early and refocus their efforts on something new.
In both cases, it’s about being the best in the world. About getting through
the hard stuff and coming out on the other side.
Quit the wrong stuff.
Stick with the right stuff.
Have the guts to do one or the other.
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Almost everything in life worth doing is controlled by the Dip.
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At the beginning, when you first start something, it’s fun. You could be
taking up golf or acupuncture or piloting a plane or doing chemistry—doesn’t
matter; it’s interesting, and you get plenty of good feedback from the people
around you.
Over the next few days and weeks, the rapid learning you experience keeps
you going. Whatever your new thing is, it’s easy to stay engaged in it.
And then the Dip happens.
The Dip is the long slog between starting and mastery. A long slog that’s
actually a shortcut, because it gets you where you want to go faster than any
other path.
The Dip is the combination of bureaucracy and busywork you must deal
with in order to get certified in scuba diving.
The Dip is the difference between the easy “beginner” technique and the
more useful “expert” approach in skiing or fashion design.
The Dip is the long stretch between beginner’s luck and real
accomplishment.
The Dip is the set of artificial screens set up to keep people like you out.
If you took organic chemistry in college, you’ve experienced the Dip.
Academia doesn’t want too many unmotivated people to attempt medical school,
so they set up a screen. Organic chemistry is the killer class, the screen that
separates the doctors from the psychologists. If you can’t handle organic
chemistry, well, then, you can’t go to med school.
At the beginning, when you announce that you’re premed, you get all sorts
of positive feedback and support. Your grandmother can’t believe her good
fortune! But soon, the incredible grind of organic chemistry kicks in, and you
realize you’re doomed.
At trade shows, you see dozens of companies trying to break into an
industry. They’ve invested time and money to build a product, to create a
marketing organization and rent booth space—all in an attempt to break into a
lucrative market. A year later, most of them don’t return. They’re gone, unable to
get through the Dip.
The same thing happens to people who dream of the untold riches and power
that accrue to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Private jets, fancy country
clubs, unchecked decision-making power. Who wouldn’t want to live like
modern-day royalty? Of course, if you look at the résumé of a typical CEO,
you’ll see that he endured a twenty-five-year Dip before landing the job. For a
quarter of a century, he needed to suck it up, keep his head down, and do what he
was told. He needed to hit his numbers, work longer hours than everyone else,
and kiss up to his boss of the moment. Day in and day out, year after year.
It’s easy to be a CEO. What’s hard is getting there. There’s a huge Dip along
the way. If it was easy, there’d be too many people vying for the job and the
CEOs couldn’t get paid as much, could they? Scarcity, as we’ve seen, is the
secret to value. If there wasn’t a Dip, there’d be no scarcity.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Successful people don’t just ride out the Dip. They
don’t just buckle down and survive it. No, they lean into the Dip. They push
harder, changing the rules as they go. Just because you know you’re in the Dip
doesn’t mean you have to live happily with it. Dips don’t last quite as long when
you whittle at them.
Short-term pain has more impact on most people than long-term benefits do, which is why it’s so important for you to amplify the long-term benefits of not quitting. You need to remind yourself of life at the other end of the Dip because it’s easier to overcome the pain of yet another unsuccessful cold call if the reality of a successful sales career is more concrete.
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Persistent people are able to visualize the idea of light at the end of the tunnel when others can’t see it. At the same time, the smartest people are realistic about not imagining light when there isn’t any.
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When you should quit
You should quit if you’re on a dead-end path. You should quit if you’re facing a Cliff. You should quit if the project you’re working on has a Dip that isn’t worth the reward at the end. Quitting the projects that don’t go anywhere is essential if you want to stick out the right ones. You don’t have the time or the passion or the resources to be the best in the world at both.
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Seeing a Cliff coming far in advance isn’t a sign of weakness. Instead, it represents real insight and bravery. It frees up your energy for the Dip.
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