Winners do quit, and quitters do win...do they? (and ten questions)

"It's a mind grenade, a little bit of insight that will help you see what's causing your organization (or you) to get stuck.

Here's the official description:
The old saying is wrong-winners do quit, and quitters do win.

Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle.

Maybe you're in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it's really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.

What really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.

Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you'll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.

Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps: Either they fail to stick out the Dip-they get to the moment of truth and then give up-or they never even find the right Dip to conquer." - The DIP.

List of quitters who went on to become winners:

Jeff Foxworthy, John Legend, Enzo Ferrari, Scott Clark, Gandhi, Tom Peters, Shea Gunther, Ernie Mosteller, Francis Crick, Bill Gates, Ray Kroc, Howard Stern, Francis Obikwelu, Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman, Harrison Ford, John Piper, Willem de Kooning, Jill Konrath, John Grisham, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, Shawn Carter, Rowan Manahan, Ralph Roberts, Dan Schapiro, and even Apple, home of the Newton and the Apple III (and Michael Dell).

The DIP is a little book about quitting by Seth Godin. Godin is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change.

I am fascinated by the subject matter, and I have to say that everyone of us has The DIP spirit within us. At times, we have to really dig deep to find an answer to The DIP. For most of us, The DIP happens to us - the circumstances, the environment, the management, the timing, etc., and then we try to find an answer to The DIP. Is this too late?

Godin tells us to instead make The DIP happen. Many questions arise: Do winners quit fast, quit often and quit without guilt? Does this mean winners don't seek out solutions to every problem they face? Or winners are focused on finding answers to the most difficult problems? Winners have an innate ability to escape dead ends quickly, and staying focused and motivated when it really counts, all keys to conquering The DIP. I believe most leaders will agree with this.

Perhaps The DIP is trying to find the common thread among some of the biggest winners we have come to know and admire; however, for every winner (and a quitter) on The DIP list, I'm sure there are many more winners who did not quit and still won. The DIP is not a recipe to quit what you're doing and begin a new quest; rather, to dig deep and find answers to the toughest problems you may face. If you do end up conquering them, success will be yours.

Update:

Guy Kawasaki has published an excellent post on The Big Dip: Ten Questions with Seth Godin

Here are the ten questions Kawasaki asked Godin on The Dip (to find the detailed answers, go to Guy's blog):

GK Question #1: Other than hindsight, how does someone know when it’s time to quit?
SG Answer #1: It’s time to quit.....

GK Question #2: If I’m in the middle of a dip, how do I know if it’s worth gutting it out to get to the other side?
SG Answer #2: The best time to ask this question is .....

GK Question #3: Is there a place for the intrinsic value of learning a skill—for example, playing hockey or the violin—even though you know you won’t be the best in the world?
SG Answer #3: Mastery is an addiction.....

GK Question #4: What if the market is not established so there’s no way to know if it even exists and if it’s worth dedicating/rededicating to?
SG Answer #4: Here’s the art of being an entrepreneur....

GK Question #5: How can a company quit a product and not give the incorrect signal that it’s quitting the market?
SG Answer #5: Tactics change all the time.....

GK Question #6: What’s more powerful: a short-term pain or long-term gain?
SG Answer #6: The power of quitting is that it empowers you....

GK Question #7: Do most companies quit too early or try too long?
SG Answer #7: Lucky for us, it’s both....

GK Question #8: Should Microsoft quit the MP3 player market?
SG Answer #8: I thought they already did.....

GK Question #9: Should Apple quit the personal computer market?
SG Answer #9: Apple has already crossed that Dip, big time.....

GK Question #10: Should America quit the Iraq War?
SG Answer #10: My opinion doesn’t matter.....

For detailed answers to Guy's questions, please visit Guy's Blog.

For the latest on The DIP, please visit Seth's Blog.

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