Book Report

"THE DIP"

By Seth Godin

Seth's BLOG

Seth on TED

A good friend of mine introduced me to this book.  It is an interesting short read about when you should quit and when you should continue.  It gives some good advice and ideas.  Although I didn't agree with everything postulated by the author, it really caused some deep contemplative thinking about what I should do and where I should go in my life, including some consideration on some of my goals.

Below is a review from this most current read:

• The main point that Godin makes is that a truly successful person is one who knows when to quit, what to quit, and isn't afraid to quit.
• He explains that there is a strategy to quitting.  First of all, a successful person shouldn't quit when he is in the moment, frustrated, or emotional.  That is a reactive quit and not a wise decision.  
• The 2 most common situations when people quit are during the Dip or the Cul De Sac.  The Dip is the hard spot between when you start something new and exciting, but before you have mastered it and achieved great success.  It is usually a very hard and typically long period where most people drop out.  Because most people drop out, those who persevere through the dip are rare.  When something or someone is rare their value increases, which is where the great worth and success begins.  The Dip weeds out the competition.  It is analogous to the grueling midpoint of the marathon, the point where most people give up.  If you can make it through that you can come out the other side stronger and the best at what you do.  That is when the big rewards come.  
• The Cul De Sac is the situation where you work and work and work and nothing really ever changes.  It doesn't get much better, it doesn't get much worse, it just is.  This is referred to as a "dead end job".  The problem with this is that when you continue to work a dead end it is keeping you from doing something else where you could have success.
• Success will be found when you can identify Cul De Sac's that steal your attention and resources, diverting your attention away from possible Dips.  The difficult part is having the courage to quit a stagnant situation so you can move into a progressive situation.  Quitting the projects that don't go anywhere is essential if you want to stick out the projects that will get you somewhere.
• Don't give up on your long term goals and desires, rather quit spending time on the tactics that won't  help you reach your goals.

• Quit Smart: Ask yourself these questions before quitting.
• Am I panicking--don't quit in the moment when things seem bad and emotions are high.  Quitting should be premeditated and well thought out, not when you are caught up in the drama and emotions of a situation
• Who am I trying to influence--If you are trying to influence a person, persistence has it's limits.  If you are trying to influence a market it's different.  each step you take carries more weight and can influence more people.  Persistence in this case can have a greater impact.
• What source of measurable progress am I making--Find a way to show forward progress, no matter how small.  For example, measuring how many referrals or sales growth is an objective measure that could be used. 
• More questions to ask yourself:
• Is this a Dip or Cul De Sac
• Is my persistance going to pay off in the long run
• Am I engaged with just one person/organization or do my actions spill over into the entire workplace
• If I'm going to quit anyway, is there something dramatic I can do instead that might change the game
• What chance does this project have to become the best in the world
• Are you avoiding the remarkable as a way of quitting without quitting

In reviewing my goals I decided that overall they help me achieve my long term vision.  However, as I looked at my 3 year goal of being on Jimmy Fallon, I decided that in no way does putting my effort into that help me achieve anything I desire with my career or my family.  I am eliminating that goal from my list.  I also need to spend more focused time right now on passing my boards and becoming the best Physical Therapist in practice and in business.  That is where I should be focusing my efforts, since so much hinges on my achievement of my PT license and the opportunities for me right now are in the PT world.
These are good changes for me!  This is why we must continually be reading, so as to learn and grow and always be progressing.  As stated by Sam Walton, "everything around you is changing.  To succeed, stay out in front of change"!

IF IT SCARES YOU, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD THING TO TRY