Quitting to Win

Posted on August 4, 2008
Filed Under leadership

“Quitters never win and winners never quit.” I’ve heard this all my life - but recently had this idea challenged. In The Dip, a small book by Seth Godin, he effectively makes the claim that winners quit all the time. The key is that they quit doing things that will not help them to be successful, so they can focus on the things that will.

As I listened this book I was challenged to think of all of my activities that are not necessarily leading me to success in the areas that I value. I can see times that I’ve invested significant energy into projects that did not get me where I wanted to go. On occasion that’s okay. Sometimes I just enjoy the change of scenery. But overall, it’s important that the time I invest is moving me for towards the things that I value.

Seth goes on to say that the “dips” or barriers that we overcome actually help to make us successful. These barriers are the ones that separate the “best” from the “rest”. Once you overcome these barriers - your value increases exponentially. On the other hand. not all barriers are “dips”. There are also dead ends and cliffs. A dead end is a job or a project or task that will consume time and energy but not get you any closer to success. Both the dead ends and cliffs need to be avoided while the dip needs to be pushed through.

I have seen many leaders, churches and nonprofits face these dips. Many of them give up and never realize their goals. A very few gather their resources and push through and make it to the other side.

What about you? Are the barriers that you face today the ones that will make you better in the future - or are they just eating your time and energy? If you really know where you want to go and what you want, to then it is vital that you can tell the difference.