I was fortunate enough to grab a preview copy of Seth Godin’s new book “The Dip” thanks to Allison Sweet and Will Weisser at Penguin Books. The book discusses how quitting is something that successful people know when to do. Ultimately, the book is filled with a few motivational anecdotes rather than scientific research, but it makes for a good quick read. So what is “The Dip”?

The Dip is that low moment after you begin trying to reach a goal when it seems like nothing is moving forward. It is the primary hurdle that you need to get over in order to reach success. Getting through the dip is what separates the exceptional from the mediocre. Seth Godin suggests that the only way to get across the dip is by picking the right goals and then obsessing or hyper-focusing on the task at hand. Successful people also know how to pick the right things to focus on and what not to focus on or quit at. Seth suggests that most people are stuck in a rut (the Dip) and don’t know when to quit. He continues on to use a lot of analogies ultimately explaining the same thing. If you want to succeed then pick the right goal and persevere. Don’t diversify across a variety of goals. Rather, pick one and focus. Those that stick with it experience exceptional success, while others meander in mediocrity. If you want a book to fill a couple of hours of your time, then check out “The Dip”.