Want greater success? Be a quitter

Mar 14, 2010

Editor's note: The Coaches Corner column appears regularly on the DrBicuspid.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion.

We're often told that the key to success is perseverance. Motivational gurus tell us "Never, ever give up. Don't be a quitter." They exhort you to keep working, keep trying, and keep fighting until you succeed. But what if they're wrong?

What if you could be more successful by being a quitter?

Sometimes when you're meeting a lot of resistance in reaching a goal, it's because you're going in the wrong direction. Here's an example I use in my coaching practice:

Suppose you've decided to get in your car and drive to Indianapolis. Now, you could take a lot of different routes to reach your destination, so you choose one and begin driving. The first road sign you see reads "Indianapolis: 200 miles." So far, so good.

However, the next sign you see tells you that Indianapolis is now 300 miles away. The next sign: 500 miles away. Do you keep on driving in the same direction? Do you conclude that if you just drive faster, you'll get to Indy eventually?

A lot of people treat their goals, and their lives, like our driver does. If something isn't working in their lives, they push harder or go faster. But they never, ever quit.

Want more money? Work harder or faster, or both. Have a staff with a bad attitude? Simply announce that terminations will continue until morale improves. Case acceptance low? Buy more gizmos and take more sales training until your patients are so overwhelmed they say, "Yes, Doctor."

Here's a better way to reach your goals and achieve your dreams. Simply ask yourself: Is what I'm doing moving me closer or farther from my goals? If the road sign mileages keep increasing, you're going the wrong way. Quit driving in that direction. Find another way. If what you're doing with your life isn't getting you what you want, stop doing it. Do something else. Find another way. Quit.

This simple concept can work in any area of your life or your practice. So many people have wasted so much effort and too many years going in the wrong direction. They would have been way ahead if they had only realized that they were not closing in on their goals and simply changed direction -- sooner rather than later.

Perseverance in the wrong direction just gets you farther down the wrong road. Constantly reassess your progress, and learn to be a quitter.

Alan Stafford, D.D.S., M.B.A., M.A.G.D., is a certified coach who shows dentists how to create the perfect practice and the perfect life: more time, less stress, more joy. Contact Dr. Stafford at [email protected] or [email protected].

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