Quitting (previously published as Mastering the Art of Quitting): Why We Fear It--and Why We Shouldn't--in Life, Love, and Work

by Peg Streep, Alan Bernstein

Overview

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

Do 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738218557
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	03/10/2015
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	976,402
File size:	1 MB

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.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Myth of the Little Engine 1

Chapter 1 The Psychology of Persistence 7

Chapter 2 Unsuccessful Quitting 37

Chapter 3 Quitting As an Art 53

Chapter 4 A Talent for Quitting 81

Chapter 5 Managing Thoughts and Emotions 105

Chapter 6 Taking Stock 127

Chapter 7 Mapping Your Goals 151

Chapter 8 How to Quit Well 173

Chapter 9 Resetting Your Inner Compass 193

Afterword: The Wisdom of Quitting 211

Acknowledgments 215

Notes 217

Bibliography 235

Index 249

Editorial Reviews

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)
"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.

From the Publisher