Synopses & Reviews
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?
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.”
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 youve just got to let go.”
Psychology Today (blog)
"With the tools and thought process clearly laid out in this book, you may find yourself better equipped to know when to hold and when (and how) to fold, and deal yourself a new hand."
Hudson Valley News, 4/17/15
[A] book of advice that just might make life a little more serene
This book will give you permission to quit when quitting is in your best interest.”
Working Mother, August/September 2015
[Streep and Bernstein] help us learn to let go.”
Synopsis
Mastering the Art of Quitting explores the "myth of persistence" and the fascinating psychology of why and how we sabotage
Synopsis
In
Mastering the Art of Quitting the authors show us how to let go when we need to and how to start over. A guide to increasing our emotional and mental flexibility, assessing our goals, and knowing when to hang in or bail out, it tackles our tendencies to overanalyze, ruminate, and put a positive spin on situations we actually need to avoid. In a culture which perceives quitting as a last resort, Alan Bernstein and Peg Streep show that its an essential tool for a happy and successful life. They reveal simple truths which apply to goals in all areas of life including love, relationships, and work, including:
Quitting permits 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 its time to stop persisting and start quitting.
Quitting is a healthy, adaptive response when a goal cant be reached.
Synopsis
In a culture that usually defines quitting as defeat,
Quitting tackles our tendency to cling to goals that have outlived their usefulness. Bestselling author Peg Streep and psychotherapist Alan Bernstein reveal simple truths about setting and achieving goals in life, love, and work, including:
- Quitting promotes growth and learning as well as the ability to frame new goals.
- The most satisfied people know when its time to stop persisting and start quitting.
- Quitting is a healthy, adaptive response when a goal cannot be reached.
Quitting (previously published as Mastering the Art of Quitting) allows you to evaluate your goals
realistically and decide if you need to let go and start anew.
Synopsis
Find out why the happiest, most successful people have the ability both to persist and to quitDo you believe that "winners never quit and quitters never win"? Do you tend to hang in longer than you should, even when you're unhappy? Our culture usually defines quitting as admitting defeat, but persistence isn't always the answer: When a goal is no longer useful, we need to be able to quit to get the most out of life. In Quitting, bestselling author Peg Streep and psychotherapist Alan Bernstein reveal simple truths that apply to goal setting and achievement in all areas of life, including work, love, and relationships:
Without the ability to give up, most people will end up in a discouraging loop.
Quitting is a healthy, adaptive response when a goal can't be reached.
Quitting permits growth and learning, as well as the ability to frame new goals.
Featuring compelling stories of people who successfully quit, along with helpful questionnaires and goal maps to guide you on the right path, Quitting will help you evaluate whether your goals are working for or against you, and whether you need to let go in order to start anew.
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.