the dip - Seth Godin

The Dip – A Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit (And When To Stick)
By Seth Godin

book review by vmsteveo

“the dip” is definitely my kind of read as it’s a smaller book in size compared to your average business book and is only eighty-eight pages. However, don’t let this fool you as it is packed with great advice about when to throw in the towel and when to suck it up and press on with that one endeavor or endeavors you are having second thoughts about. As I have said in some of my past reviews I am from the school of thought that says work hard and your efforts will be recognized and rewarded. This ideal would be true if you were the only one who believed this, but….your not. Enter the dip or the barrier to entry to anything worthwhile and where most people give up. It’s the area or cycle of an endeavor where things get really, really, really tough for most to say “screw it, I’m outta here!” or to settle into mediocrity. Only a mere few push through this “dip” and come out the other end as extraordinary.

The concept of the dip comes into play after the honeymoon or newness of the endeavor (ie new job, workout regime) passes and you truly begin to understand the complexity and quality of the work that needs to be achieved by you to get through the dip. The reality of the dip is the guys and gals that have gone through the dip and are at the top are betting on your failure through the dip, in fact they count on it. There are tough obstacles that they set up that only the few can hurdle and accomplish. They know you are going to quit which allows them to remain number one for a longer period of time.

Think about it. My local YMCA in Davidson can’t possibly hold the number of members that they sign up during a given year. If all of them showed up, guess what? No one would be able to get to the equipment. It would be chaos. It’s sad to say, but they are betting on a good chunk of those members will quit soon after they sign up. Now if the majority quits, who benefits? First and foremost, the YMCA profits from members that have paid their fees and don’t use the facility but also the remaining members benefit from easy access to the equipment and lower membership fees, right? What a concept!!!

Let’s face it; everyone has been through the dip and quit mid way through it. It can be a sucky place to be if you let it get the best of you or an area filled with opportunity as you lean into the dip with everything you’ve got. I am convinced that those people that choose not to let the dip get the best of them end up on the other side as extraordinary.

Next Seth sizes up what scenarios within the curve to stick with and those to run like hell in the opposite direction:

The dip is a situation to evaluate and determine if the work involved to go through the dip is worth the prize on the other side. A good place to be.

The Cul de Sac as the French define as “dead-end” reflects an endeavor that is neither moving forward or backward. Get out, leave, reevaluate, and redefine.

The Cliff is a scenario where you are so afraid of quitting this endeavor that it overpowers any judgment you might have. This scenario screams, run like hell in the opposite direction. Bad.

The problem with the Cul de Sac and the Cliff is that they both lead to one thing… failure. Quit immediately if you sense one of your endeavors are in either of these two categories. So in summary, the safest place to be is the dip.

So you’ve made the conscious decision that a given endeavor is worth the dip that you must go through to be extraordinary, now what? How do you level set yourself to get through the dip knowing it’s going to be very long and hard journey?

To answer, this should be easy as you have already made the decision that the benefits of the other side far outweigh the pain of the dip. That commitment/decision to yourself will help you along the way. Once you make the commitment, stick to it, do it with vigor, enthusiasm, and a little bit of anger and never, never, ever give up.

Finally Seth gives us three questions to ask yourself in the event you are thinking about quitting any endeavor:

Am I panicing?
Who am I trying to influence?
What sort of measurable progress am I making?

So I ask you:

Which endeavors will you remove to make your remaining endeavors extraordinary?
Which endeavor will you pursue until you are #1?

I would enjoy hearing your comments.

See you in the trenches - vmsteveo