Mastering the Art of Quitting: Why It Matters in Life, Love, and Work - Hardcover

Streep, Peg; Bernstein, Alan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0738216542 ISBN 13: 9780738216546

Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2013

Synopsis

Find out why the happiest, most successful people have the ability both to persist and to quit.

In a culture that perceives quitting as a last resort and urges us to hang in, Mastering the Art of Quitting tackles our tendencies to overanalyze, ruminate, and put a positive spin on goals that have outlived their usefulness.

Bestselling author Peg Streep and psychotherapist Alan Bernstein demonstrate that persistence alone isn't always the answer. We also need to be able to quit to get the most out of life. They reveal simple truths that apply to goal setting and achievement in all areas of life, including love, relationships, and work:

• Quitting promotes growth and learning, as well as the ability to frame new goals.
• Without the ability to give up, most people will end up in a discouraging loop.
• The most satisfied people know when it's time to stop persisting and start quitting.
• Quitting is a healthy, adaptive response when a goal can't be reached.

Featuring compelling stories of people who successfully quit, along with helpful questionnaires and goal maps to guide you on the right path, Mastering the Art of Quitting allows you to evaluate whether your goals are working for or against you, and whether you need to rechart certain aspects of your life.

When is it time to stop persisting and start quitting?

Take a moment and answer the following questions. Just thinking about the answers will give you insight into your ability to quit artfully and restart your life.

• Do you believe that "winners never quit and quitters never win"?
• How realistic are you when it comes to setting goals?
• What matters more: staying the course or exploring new possibilities in life?
• How much of your sense of self relies on other people's judgments?
• Do you tend to hang in longer than you should, even when you're unhappy?
• When you try something new, do you focus on the effort you have to put in or the possibility of failure?
• Are you a procrastinator or a delayer when it comes to getting things done?
• How much do you worry about making a mistake? Do you second-guess yourself?
• How hard is it for you to get over a setback?

About this title

About the Author:

Peg Streep was educated at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, and is the author or coauthor of ten books, including Mean Mothers and the bestselling Necessary Journeys, with Dr. Nancy L. Snyderman. She is a blogger at PsychologyToday.com. She lives in New York.

Alan B. Bernstein, LCSW, has written about careers and transitions (The Princeton Review's Guide to Your Career and Your Retirement, Your Way) and served on the faculty at New York Medical College and New York University's doctoral program in psychology. He lives in New York.

Review:

New York Times, 12/29/2013

Shrewd, detailed, and exhortatory, their book breaks down obstacles to quitting, illustrated by exemplary stories of men and women who had the courage to gracefully quit jobs that did not satisfy them.”

InfoDad.com, 1/16/2014

Well-managed quitting is a life skill worth learning, one that can free up our limited internal and external resources for better use elsewhere.”

Newsday 1/28/14

Help[s] you decide when you've just got to let go.”

Psychology Today Blog, 3/2/14
With the tools and thought process clearly laid out in this book, you may find yourself better equipped to know when to hold and whn (and how) to fold, and deal yourself a new hand.”

Protoview
The form of quitting referred to in the title is not the explosive, impulsive sort, but is rather a more deliberate disengaging from unattainable goals The book serves as a reader self-assessment and guide through the process of quitting and setting new goals.”

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0738216542
• ISBN 13: 9780738216546
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272