Thoughts on Seth Godin's "The Dip"
“six person riding on roller coaster at daytime” by 2Photo Pots on Unsplash
Ever felt the Dip?! You probably have, either personally or professionally. Its that moment where you ask — is this worth it? Should I just give up?
I’m pretty sure that no book like this exists, a book that takes the worst part of a process, the doubtful, regretful, sad part, and asks — what good can we find here? How can we get better at this part? How can we see it and understand it and realise that it too can be a phase, just like starting, just like hitting those OKR’s.
It’s ok. As Seth says:
“I feel like giving up. Almost every day, in fact. Not all day, of course, but there are moments. My bet is that you have those moments, too…
Most of the time, we deal with the obstacles by persevering. Sometimes we get discouraged and turn to inspirational writing, like stuff from Vince Lombardi: ‘Quitters never win and winners never quit.’ Bad advice. Winners quit all the time. The just quit the right stuff at the right time”
And of course, recognising the Dip is key. It can even be seen ahead of time. This doesn’t make it any easier to deal with, it just makes you more aware and ready to deal with it. Having a system to power through, having labels for these things help us do the work of a professional. Let’s not pretend it doesn’t exist. As the saying goes, “Hope is not a strategy”.
My key takeaway?“Quit the wrong stuff. Stick with the right stuff. Have the guts to do one or the other.“
