I was a serial quitter

Suzanne Mercier - Wednesday, April 07, 2010

I love Seth Godin's books.  They are short and pithy; I always get some gems from them whether it's something I didn't know or hadn't considered, or a new perspective on something I already knew of.

I recently finished reading "The Dip", Godin's book reframing the "negative" connotation of quitting.  His main point is that there are times when strategic quitting is the fastest way to be successful - getting out of one venture that is simply not working creates the space to get into something else we're better suited and resourced for.

It got me thinking back on my career since leaving George Pattersons Advertising.  I had an advertising agency, a marketing consultancy, a training and consulting business, an educational club for SME's and so it continues.  In each case, my story to myself is that I walked away before I could be successful and that any venture is like planting seeds and nurturing the possibility until shoots appear up through the ground.  In each situation, I walked away before the shoots appeared.  But perhaps they weren't ever going to appear.  Perhaps I was in situations that were, in Seth Godin's words, "cul de sacs" or dead ends and walking away was the smartest decision.  I think that was true of a few of the ventures I got into, especially those I allowed myself to be talked into.  There were other opportunities, such as Bite Size Skills, my educational club for SME's, where I definitely walked away before the shoots appeared.

By and large, I was a serial quitter rather than a strategic quitter.  Now, with Imposterhood, I'm in the Dip.  I've been here before and this time, I believe I'm doing what I need to be doing, so I've got the courage and persistence to push through.  Who knows, though.  Perhaps I'm too close and can't see that it's a cul de sac or that there is no way I can deliver the best service in this area.  Makes you think, doesn't it?

What about you?  Where are you in your career at the moment?  Are you in a dead end situation?  Have you gone as far as you can?  Or are you perhaps in the dip doing what you can to move through it as fast as possible.  

What's going on for you?  I'd love to hear.

All the very best
Suzanne