The sporting world today was left stunned by the sudden departure from English Premier League soccer club Chelsea F.C., of one of the most successful managers of the modern era, Jose Mourinho. The Portugese had been responsible for winning a total of 5 trophies in his 3 years at the helm - an astounding achievement for any soccer manager, less one who is still only 44 years old.

Unfortunately, it appeared that his failure to win the one big prize (the European Champions League) that mattered most to the Russian billionaire owner of Chelsea, Roman Abramovich was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. While rumours are still rife as to whether Mourinho had resigned or was sacked, the man who arrived with much fanfare in the English soccer scene, proclaiming to be “The Special One”, would be greatly missed by myself and many English soccer fans. The arrogant yet eloquently brilliant and amazingly humourous Mourinho brought much colour and fascination to the game at a time when there was a distinct lack of personality.

“Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one.” Jose Mourinho, when he arrived at Chelsea F.C. in June 2004.

So, what has this got to do with anything?

Well, if you have read Seth Godin’s The Dip, you might be able to draw parallels between Mourinho and what was taught in the “Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)”.

In his book, Godin commented that what sets successful people apart from ones who seem habitually mired in lost causes, is their ability to know when a goal is worth their time and effort. They also know when to quit when such dead ends are met, instead of trying to beat a situation he calls The Dip.

Godin even went further to state that successful people actually look for the right Dip, and ones that they can conquer. The bigger the Dip, the greater the reward for overcoming it, if it happens to be the right one. The Dip sets out to help readers identify which Dips are worthy of your time and effort in conquering it, and which ones you should summon up enough courage to move on and look forward to a newer, better goal.

Mourinho, while successful, knew his boundaries when the Russian money machine started careening towards him with the headlights on. Despite his ability to win, he must have realised that time was running out on the Chelsea owner’s patience to win the ultimate prize in club soccer. And with his authority at the club constantly undermined by Abramovich interfering with team selections and personnel deployment, he would have concluded that his methods had to be compromised in order to stay in the hot seat. The Dip had also reared its ugly twin head with the team struggling on many fronts, starting the new season with poor results which culminated in an insipid 1-1 draw with Norwegian minnows Rosenborg in the midweek Champions League game.

For someone with many more years in the game, and no lack of suitors should he decide to leave, Mourinho realised that this was a Dip that he should not waste more time on in trying to conquer. While his ego would have taken a knock, and his heart left heavy in leaving a team of players he had developed a close bond with, Mourinho knew that he would have failed in trying to save a sinking vessel which was not within his control. And so he moved on.

We have often been told to be tough and face each struggle with hard work and courage, to try to overcome every obstacle encountered in life. But sometimes, it requires even greater courage to know when we have met our limits at a Dip that would be better left behind, than to waste our time and energy on a lost cause. We would also feel depressed and despondent after failing to conquer a Dip. However, if we could also recognise our limitations, and know when to quit, it would so often be crucial for us moving on to greater successes.

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