Lean into the Dip

The Other Side

Seth Godin, author of the bestseller Purple Cow (2003), also more recently published a book on motivation and quitting called The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) (2007). When you visit his website you’ll see on the cover of the book a stick figure in motion moving up a hill. Godin has the reputation of being the world’s number one business blogger, which is no small achievement. What gems does his have to offer?

In his book on motivation, simply put the content focuses on the idea of, “Hey, don’t forget you’re in the Dip” when you are.

Godin defines “the Dip” as being “the slog” that mastery or achievement of anything worthwhile requires. It’s the long, long stretch between the start and finish of a marathon-like journey, full of difficult, unpredictable and “artificial screens” which are there to separate those with follow through and stamina from those without. When you are making change that requires some effort, there will be a point in time when the effort is rewarded either by new habits or new skill sets or new attitude – or all of the above. And when you get there, you’re out of the Dip.

Leaning into the Dip invites you to:

• Remind yourself of the monumental change that you are soon to accomplish;
• Remind yourself that there is pain involved
• Remind yourself it’s all about getting to the other side

Here’s how to lean into the Dip:

1. Know that the Dip is there. Knowing you’re facing a Dip is the first step in getting through it. Enjoy the beginning; it’s the fun part, it’ll feel new and exciting, you’ll learn loads in a short period, and you feel engaged.
2. Remind yourself the Dip is where the pay off is. If it is worth doing, there’s probably a Dip. The Dip is where success and transformations happen. After all, not everyone makes it through the Dip, and those that do are scarce. If the Dip creates scarcity, it’s the scarcity which creates value. Ask yourself repeatedly, “What’s in it for me?”
3. Lean into the Dip. The Dip is your very best friend and it’s why you’re here. It’s your big opportunity and needs to be treated as such. You’ve invested time and money and effort to get to this moment. Don’t just survive the Dip; lean into it. Lean so much into it that you might just lean right through it. Lean like someone who has nothing to lose, and you’ll feel like you’ve got loads of power. The real success goes to those who obsess and keep sloughing away when the pain gets so bad that they want to quit.
4. Don’t go into the Dip unless you’re determined to get out. In Godin's words, “If you’re going to quit, quit before you start.” Rather, set your limits before you start so you know what pain threshold you will tolerate. When the going gets tough, it’s super important to remember why you’re doing what you’re doing.
5. Don’t quit just because the Dip is stressful, provided you see great long-term potential. Don’t quit in the Dip if your decision is based on how you feel at the moment, as that makes for a short-term decision. Definitely do quit, though, if you’re on a cul-de-sac going nowhere or you see a cliff edge looming ahead. Then quitting takes insight and guts, and it’ll free your energy up to refocus on something new. If you are thinking about quitting, ask yourself the following: a) Am I panicking?; b) Am I trying to influence someone?; and c) What sort of progress am I making; i.e, am I moving forward, standing still, or falling behind?


Godin gives a great example of the Dip in action. He asks why, when snowboarding is such a hip sport, are there so few snowboarders? His answer, we can expect, is that the Dip is painful. Most people cannot hop on a snowboard and look cool the first time round. It takes toughing it out.

The power of the Dip is it’s a helpful reminder that when you are sloughing away with a long term goal clearly in mind, it’s supposed to feel hard. A great analogy is to think of the light at the end of your tunnel as being man-generated electricity, almost like you generate your own light by running on a treadmill. You definitely won’t get much bulb to talk about unless you sweat a lot.

We succeed when we do that something remarkable that we are the best in the world at what we do.

Until next time, embrace your inner wisdom.

Namaste,
Karen

References:
Godin, Seth, (2007). The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) Godin, Seth (2009). Seth Godin on how to push through the dip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQnM2lfPYSQ

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