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Mastering the Art of Quitting
Book

Mastering the Art of Quitting

Why It Matters in Life, Love, and Work

Peg Streep and Alan Bernstein
Da Capo Press, 2013

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Well Structured
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

The human brain – which is hard-wired for persistence – and modern culture both disdain a “quitter.” However, the concept that you’ve put in too much work by now to give up can blind you to new possibilities. Peg Streep and Alan Bernstein show you how to push through those mental blocks. They detail how to use “goal mapping” to reinvent yourself, and they explain why “intrinsic goals” built around personal growth yield greater rewards than “extrinsic goals” that depend on the approval of others. The authors cite psychological experiments that explain how your brain predisposes you to persist, even when giving up is a better choice. Readers seeking practical advice will enjoy the book but will draw more insight from interviews with people who quit unfulfilling jobs and tried something new. If you have doubts about whether you’re on the right career or relationship path, getAbstract recommends this dispassionate, convincing guide to knowing when to change course. The authors speak from experience: Each quit a previous career.

Take-Aways

  • Persistence in pursuit of a goal is valuable. So is knowing when to quit.
  • Your brain is hard-wired for persistence – as is American culture, beginning with the children’s story, The Little Engine That Could.
  • Setting aside unworkable objectives sets you free to pursue better goals.

About the Authors

Peg Streep wrote Necessary Journeys in cooperation with Dr. Nancy L. Snyderman. She also has written nine other books. Clinical social worker Alan Bernstein, author of The Princeton Review’s Guide to Your Career, has been a faculty member at New York Medical College and New York University.

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    V. I. 7 years ago
    A nice read
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    T. L. 9 years ago
    Excellent Read, worth the time.
  • Avatar
    D. B. 1 decade ago
    All good stuff, and maybe I missed it, but what about stopping and recalibrating by asking: are the reasons I am doing this the same? we decide to take a job or whatever but forget to revisit the decision based on changes in ourselves, the situation or other contexts that may have changed. Hey, I no longer am 25, this is a different company, I have done all I wanted here or my situation is different. Stop and retest, would I decide to take it on if it were presented to me now?