When to quit? Going through The Dip

It's the end of Q1 and lately, I've been feeling less driven about the initial goals I've set in the beginning of the year. It could be due to a lack of progress or impatience for positive results, but my motivation is taking a nosedive. I'm still putting in the effort out of discipline and obligation, and it brings me to question – when should I quit? How do we qualify a goal worthy of our time and energy?

A few years ago, I came across and quickly finished Seth Godin's The Dip. It is a really short read with less than 100 pages to tackle the exact dilemma – when to quit and when to really persevere. As it turns out, there are equal benefits to pushing through longer than most, and having the courage to quit and refocus your efforts on something else. We're about to learn how.

Being the best matters

Before Godin went to when we should quit, he wrote about why being the best matters because of scarcity. The reason why people love a winner is because they want to minimise time and risks, and intentionally narrow their choices to the top.

In just about every market, even in a micro-market, being the best matters as the number of choices is approaching infinity. So while it is increasingly important to be the best, it is also to pick the right thing to do and do it all the way. If you are sold on being the best but frustrated at the route you're taking to get there, it is indicative to start doing some quitting. Don't settle for mediocrity at everything – winners specialise at getting really good at the questions they don't know or being exceptional at the things that matter.

Let's start strategic quitting

You've definitely heard of quiet qutting, but here's a proposition to start strategic quitting. Godin illustrated three types of situation that you may face as you try to accomplish something:

1. The Dip: In any accomplishment journey, you experience quick learning and find it easy to stay engaged, and the Dip happens. A long slog between starting and mastery, but also a shortcut to get you to what you want. This Dip creates scarcity for those who gains mastery.

2. Cul-de-sac: It's a situation where you work and work and nothing much changes. It doesn't get better or worse. When you find yourself in one, you need to get off it, fast – because it will keep you from doing something else.

   
   

3. The Cliff: A rare situation where you can't quit until you fall off, and the whole thing falls apart. However, most of the time the other first two curves are in force.

I'm in the Dip, now what?

If it is worth to doing, you're most likely in The Dip. If you persist while others quit, you become scarce and that creates value. When faced with The Dip, you could either start to diversify, be average, or quit.

The best thing to do is to be choosy about the journey you want to start. Quit before you even start if you know you won't be the best. Else you run the risk of becoming a serial quitter – wasting time you have already invested repeatedly. The next time you catch yourself being average when you feel like quitting, realise there are two good choices: Quit or be exceptional.

People usually quit because they don't have the time or money, get scared, aren't serious about it, lost interest, focus on short-term success or choose the wrong thing to excel in. Not only you need to find The Dip to focus on, you must also quit the cul-de-sacs that don't bring you the same opportunities.

Why should you persist

Once you've identified The Dip that is worth pursuing, persistence gets you through it. Persistence signals that you are serious, committed, powerful, accepted and a safe choice. Most people only want to buy from something proven and valued. If your product isn't working, not even appealing to the early adopters, you must not persist with a tactic because you feel stuck with it but think of your strategy and pivot.

Short term pain has more impact on most people than long-term benefits do, which is why it is important to focus on the long-term benefits of not quitting. You can achieve this with tracking. Persistent people are able to visualise the idea of light at the end of the tunnel when others don't see it. At the same time, the smartest people are realistic about not imaging light when there isn't any.

Three questions to ask before quitting

Coming to the end of the book, I've reflected that perhaps there are not just one Dip in your life to pursue, and that some Dips can be smaller than others – for example this blog that is still worth doing. Realising that quitting is worth your focus and consideration has been important. Godin concludes with these three questions to help guide your decision to quit:

1. Am I panicking?

   Best quitters are the ones who decide in advance when they're going to quit. You can always quit later, so wait until you're done panicking to decide.

   
   

2. Who am I trying to influence?

   Persistence has limits. It's easy to cross a line between demonstrating your persistence and becoming annoying. If you haven't increased your influence, it may well be time to quit.

   
   

3. What sort of measurable progress am I making?

   If you are trying to succeed, you're either moving forward, falling behind or standing still. The challenge is to surface new milestones in areas where you have previously expected to find none.

Arguably, for any endeavour you choose to accomplish, one's will triumphs over talent for almost all situations – the true question is if you'll go through the Dip to get really good. Never stop evolving and choose to quit with full clarity and choice to walk away. Failing happens when you give up, when there are no other options, or when you quit so often that you have used up all your time and resources. I hope this summary of The Dip has helped.

Till the next!