I quit ten years ago.

I’ve been thinking about the implications of that decision all last week as I read Seth Godin’s little book, The Dip. He makes the case for quitting strategically.

In 2014 I can’t say I quit strategically. I just came to the point where I realized I was stuck in a position I couldn’t improve on. I wasn’t useful to my boss or those I was there to serve. So I quit.

That was a scary and daring decision. I walked away from a tenured position. No one did that those days. But I felt I needed to in order to find renewed excitement in my work again.

Did it work?

That’s what I’ve been reflecting on. Let me just say that Godin helped me get a better perspective on what has taken place in the past decade. Now I know the difference between The Dip, The Dead-end, and The Cliff. I’ve experienced all three and prefer only one over the others.

Right now I’m in The Dip on a new project, and it’s just as scary and daring as my decision to walk away from The Dead-end job I had ten years ago. But it feels right, and it’s exciting.

So, in retrospect, it seems I quit strategically.