In this iconic bestseller, popular business blogger and bestselling author Seth Godin proves that winners are really just the best quitters. Godin shows that winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt—until they commit to beating the right Dip.
Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out fun…then gets really hard, and not much fun at all. You might be in a Dip—a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it’s really a Cul-de-Sac—a total dead end. What really sets superstars apart is the ability to tell the two apart.
Winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can beat the Dip to be the best, you’ll earn profits, glory, and long-term security.
Whether you’re an intern or a CEO, this fun little book will help you figure out if you’re in a Dip that’s worthy of your time, effort, and talents. The old saying is wrong—winners do quit, and quitters do win.
The Book in 3 Sentences
- The majority of this book is essentially trying to give you every reason that you need to be a “successful quitter”. Quitting the wrong stuff (Cul-de-Sacs or dead ends) is one of the most important things you can do, because it frees up your time to focus on the right things. Just make sure to ask the right questions of yourself before making a decision. (many of these are provided)
- Everything in life that’s worth doing is controlled by the Dip. It’s what separates the average from the great. Being persistent through the times that are extremely difficult is exactly what creates the distinction between the top 1% and the rest. The best part…? You don’t have to be the best in the entire world, because the word “world” is flexible to whatever you are trying to achieve.
- Becoming #1 should be your top priority. The disproportionate rewards that the best players receive (Zipf’s law) are so dramatically undervalued. Stop trying to be a generalist. Getting through the Dip is the secret to success, so making sure you are “doing the right things” is how you will persevere”
Impressions 🤔
I feel like I read this book at the right time in my life. As you’ll see in how the book changed me below 👇🏽 , I’ve had many situations in my life over the past ~8 years where I’ve quit something and felt an enormous amount of shame and embarrassment. But why?
“Don’t be a quitter” is some lame hustle culture stuff.
It makes sense in certain contexts, but as Seth outlines in his book, there is such thing as strategic quitting, or situational quitting. I couldn’t agree more.
It’s important not to be a generalist/master of none as a result of you quitting when things get hard. That’s not what he means. He means confronting reality and quitting the things you know you won’t be able to push through when things get truly hard; when you’re in the Dip. “Quitting successfully” as he calls it.
I really enjoyed it. It was a really quick read too - I finished it in a couple hours.
Who Should Read It❓
- Generalists. People who are decent at many things but don’t feel like they really belong or are really good in one. (me 🙋🏽 )
- If you’re looking to decide what you want to spend the next chunk of your life working on.
- If you’re early in your career.
- If you aren’t very satisfied with your current career.
- Probably most entrepreneurs and business owners.
- Athletes, as a resource to “not quit” and get past the Dip.
“In a competitive world, adversity is your ally. The harder it gets, the better chance you have of insulating yourself from the competition.”
How the Book Changed Me 💯
- I’m less attached to the random ideas I have, because I know that I personally would not be able truly commit and see them through.
- I’m much more open to testing things… If I lose my excitement very quickly or if I can’t see myself doing something long-term, I feel better quitting early.
- I’ve always given myself a hard time internally for quitting things “too early” in the past, like certain jobs that really didn’t resonate with me, side projects that had potential, or even past relationships.
- I’m a really passionate dude. I want to work on things that are really cool or excite me. I’m allowing myself to believe that it IS possible to find a career that aligns with my passions. Even against the advice of Cal Newport.
“Quitting the projects that don’t go anywhere is essential if you want to stick out the right ones.”
“Quitting a job doesn’t have to mean giving up. A job is just a tactic, a way to get to what you really want. As soon as your job hits a dead end, it makes sense to quit and take your quest to a bigger marketplace—because every day you wait puts your goal further away.”
My Top 5 Quotes 🗣
“Realize that you have only two good choices: Quit or be exceptional. Average is for losers.”
“Quitting (via the dip) creates scarcity; scarcity creates value.” … “Scarcity makes being at the top worth something”
“Simple: If you can’t make it through the Dip, don’t start. If you can embrace that simple rule, you’ll be a lot choosier about which journeys you start.”
“It’s easier to be mediocre than it is to confront reality and quit.”
“Quitting as a short-term strategy is a bad idea. Quitting for the long term is an excellent idea.”