Seth Godin, author of some of the most popular career writing in the world, wrote a book disparaging the idea that “quitters never win.” Godin argued that “winners”—he generally meant individuals who reach the apex of their domain—quit fast and often when they detect that a plan is not the best fit, and do not feel bad about it. “We fail,” he

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“Everything is opportunity/cost. If I go out to a movie instead of going hiking as my leisure activity, what is the cost of that? If I go to the movies instead of a hike, does that help or hurt my paddling? I’ve got to judge that.” “Quit” doesn’t have to be the opposite of “grit.” This is where “strategic quitting” comes in. Once you’ve found

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Smart quitting is such a vital skill.

Something that my Substack audience generally doesn’t know about me: before I was known as a writer, I was a mediocre singer-songwriter, in my early 20s. I’d taken this up after failing to finish a novel had tanked my mental health. I told everyone I was done with writing, but I still needed some way to get... See more

Success does not lie in sticking to things. It lies in picking the right thing to stick to and quitting the rest.

Success does not lie in sticking to things. It lies in picking the right thing to stick to and quitting the rest.