On The Verge of Quitting? Read The Dip By Seth Godin

It’ll help you make the right decision

I’m writing this a week before I turn 30 and I think that alone explains why I’m sitting with the question, “Should I just quit it all and start over?”

There’s a big pressure placed on anyone who turns 30, but especially on women. I’ve spent the greater part of this year thinking about whether I want to have kids (and if I do, when?), whether I’m old enough to find new meaning in my childhood experiences (so that I can forgive), or whether I’ve been building the right career. I’ve daydreamed about what it would look like to start over or how I would want to tackle a new iteration of my current life.

Ultimately, all of the pondering led me to more questions, so I dusted off my boyfriend’s copy of The Dip by Seth Godin and asked him (Godin, not my boyfriend) to save me from myself.

He answered.

The book is 96 pages long. It’s a short time commitment for a big payoff.

My favorite through-line in the book is that it makes quitting feel approachable and a viable (shameless) option. It helped me uncover that my itch wasn’t about wanting to quit, it was about wanting to confirm that the life and career I’m building are a choice, not just a default setting.

Once you have the option to quit, if you have any reasons to want to stick it out they become very clear.

Godin takes the conversation on quitting a step further by having readers get specific about what it would take for them to quit. He asks readers to clearly define the difference between quitting for the greater good and quitting as a mask for running away.

I’ve been writing professionally for the last decade and it’s only after reading this book that I felt fully confident in this path being my choice. It forced me to take a step back and consider the audience, the market, and myself. I had to answer honestly whether I was the right fit for the kind of work I’m putting into the universe.

Whether you’re turning 30 too or simply questioning parts of your life, Seth Godin’s clear take and actionable questions help you push aside the bullshit and get to the heart of the problem (or of who you truly are).

I write about creativity, mental health, grief, and how to cope with life’s everyday challenges on VivNunez.com. Listen to my weekly podcast, Happy To Be Here.

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