Quitting: A Life Strategy: The Myth of Perseverance―and How the New Science of Giving Up Can Set You Free by Julia Keller
They say that breaking up is hard to do. Is something telling you it’s time to move on? Could a single word be standing between you and the next phase of life you’ve been planning for and dreaming about?
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Julia Keller thinks that we need to step back an reconsider our beliefs about the emotionally charged word quitting. In our culture we highly value grit and staying the course. We’re taught from a very young age the importance of perseverance. In sports and in the work world, it’s rewarded. And these traits and indeed valuable. But Keller notes, perhaps we overvalue them. She points out that in a many situations sticking it out is not the smartest play. Moving on is. But our aversion to quitting often holds us back from making the bold decision to change course and pursue a different path. Keller makes a compelling case for why strategic quitting can be transformational in certain situations and lays out why it can be a courageous act of love to make a course correction versus sticking it out. She explores the neuroscience behind quitting and recounts examples from her own life, and the experiences of people from various walks of life for whom quitting was exactly the right move.
While this is not specifically a book about retirement, if you’re contemplating retirement or a pivot to a second act, you’ll find this book to be timely, insightful and thought-provoking.
Listen to my podcast conversation with Julia Keller here
Discover more Best Books About Retirement here
