“The Dip, a little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick)” by Seth Godin

“The Dip, a little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick)” by Seth Godin

This was a quick read book.  He teaches there are three main curves to work life.  The three paths are: the dead end (cul de sac), the cliff, and the dip. The dead end is just that, you won’t be going anywhere not matter how hard you work.  The cliff you can work hard and even enjoy it, but in the long run it will end abruptly.  The dip is when you are working on the right path and you are in the dip where if you choose to overcome the challenges of the dip and not quit (like everyone else does), you will shoot up into excellence and be the best. 

He says, “Simple: If you can’t make it through the Dip, don’t start.” If you don’t even want to try to be the best, than don’t waste your time and everyone elses.  He then shares this list:

“Seven Reasons You Might Fail to Become the Best in the World

1.    You run out of time (and quit).

2.    You run out of money (and quit).

3.    You get scared (and quit).

4.    You’re not serious about it (and quit).

5.    You lose interest or enthusiasm or settle for being mediocre (and quit).

6.    You focus on the short term instead of the long (and quit when the short term gets too hard).

7.    You pick the wrong thing at which to be the best in the world (because you don’t have the talent).”

This list applies to 8 main areas in life we can have a dip.

1.    Manufacturing

2.    Sales

3.    Education

4.    Risk

5.    Relationship

6.    Conceptual

7.    Ego

8.    Distribution

He teaches about “The Big Opportunity- If you can get through the Dip, if you can keep going when the system is expecting you to stop, you will achieve extraordinary results. People who make it through the Dip are scarce indeed, so they generate more value. . .To be a superstar, you must do something exceptional. Not just survive the Dip, but use the Dip as an opportunity to create something so extraordinary that people can’t help but talk about it, recommend it, and, yes, choose it.” 

This makes sense to me.  I personally know people who are amazing at everything they do and in reading this book, I can see how their lives match what he is teaching.  So, we need to have the desire and be in the right place or path. Godin wants us to ask ourselves what business we are in.  He shares with us that we need to “you should (you must) quit a product or a feature or a design— you need to do it regularly if you’re going to grow and have the resources to invest in the right businesses. But no, you mustn’t quit a market or a strategy or a niche.” which means that we need to stay fresh and up to date and not get stuck in keeping the same product because we hope it will one day take off or because we are committed to this product just because of the time or money we have invested into it already. He teaches us that we don’t just want to wait around for opportunities to come out way.  He says: “The Opposite of Quitting Isn’t “Waiting Around” No, the opposite of quitting is rededication. The opposite of quitting is an invigorated new strategy designed to break the problem apart.”  I like to think of this like when we are having a problem in life and we ask the Lord for help.  He doesn’t want us to wait around and do nothing, he wants us to be anxiously engaged in a good cause.  He wants us to be agents unto ourselves.  We ask, ponder, pray, listen, ponder, and get to work. 

Godin also teaches us that if we are going to look for a new job, don’t wait until you have been fired, get proactive, to strategize effectively and efficiently.  “The time to look for a new job is when you don’t need one. The time to switch jobs is before it feels comfortable. Go. Switch. Challenge yourself; get yourself a raise and a promotion.”  If you are going to stay at a job just as a coping mechanism, Godin teaches: “Quitting is better than coping because quitting frees you up to excel at something else.”  He cautions us that “quitting as a short- term strategy is a bad idea. Quitting for the long term is an excellent idea.” which he interprets as “Never quit something with great long- term potential just because you can’t deal with the stress of the moment. Now that’s good advice.”

He guides us to ask ourselves three questions before we decide to quit or continue on. He says:  “Realizing that quitting is worth your focus and consideration is the first step to becoming the best in the world. The next step is to ask three questions.

QUESTION 1: AM I PANICKING? Quitting is not the same as panicking. Panic is never premeditated. Panic attacks us, it grabs us, it is in the moment. Quitting when you’re panicked is dangerous and expensive. The best quitters, as we’ve seen, are the ones who decide in advance when they’re going to quit. You can always quit later— so wait until you’re done panicking to decide.

QUESTION 2: WHO AM I TRYING TO INFLUENCE? Are you trying to succeed in a market? Get a job? Train a muscle? Influencing one person is like scaling a wall. If you get over the wall the first few tries, you’re in. If you don’t, often you’ll find that the wall gets higher with each attempt. Influencing a market, on the other hand, is more of a hill than a wall. You can make progress, one step at a time, and as you get higher, it actually gets easier. People in the market talk to each other. They are influenced by each other. So every step of progress you make actually gets amplified.

QUESTION 3: WHAT SORT OF MEASURABLE PROGRESS AM I MAKING? If you’re trying to succeed in a job or a relationship or at a task, you’re either moving forward, falling behind, or standing still. There are only three choices.”

Godin finishes with a list of questions we should ask ourselves (or to guide us to ask the right questions for ourselves) to help us figure out and evaluate effectively.

“Questions:

Is this a Dip, a Cliff, or a Cul- de- Sac? If it’s a Cul- de- Sac, how can I change it into a Dip? Is my persistence going to pay off in the long run? Am I engaged with just one person (or organization), or do my actions in this situation spill over into the entire marketplace? When should I quit? I need to decide now, not when I’m in the middle of it, and not when part of me is begging to quit. If I quit this task, will it increase my ability to get through the Dip on something more important? If I’m going to quit anyway, is there something dramatic I can do instead that might change the game? Should I really be calling on IBM? Should I really be trying to get on Oprah ? What chance does this project have to be the best in the world? Who decides what best is? Can we make the world smaller? Does it make sense to submit a résumé to every single ad on Craigslist, just to see what happens? If I like my job, is it time to quit? Is doing nothing better than planning on quitting and then doing something great? Are you avoiding the remarkable as a way of quitting without quitting? If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.”

I did not think I was going to life this book, but he actually made a lot of sense.  I can see where I have been afraid in my own life to take the steps necessary to do what I dream of.  In reading this book, I feel I have a clearer picture of why my husband has taken some of the approaches he has.  I feel that understanding these concepts or at least being aware of them can empower me to make better evaluations and choices when it comes to what I do in and with my career.