The Dip

I just got done reading Seth Godin's book "The Dip" again, for the 3rd time. And many of the same points rang true to me this time as last. Quitting is a good strategic plan for most human endeavors. Not jumping from one thing to another when the short run tasks become difficult or tiresome. But rather being able to recognize when an activity, goal (or better yet; an intention) no longer is valuable, and then leaving; quitting; breaking-up; divorcing; letting go; paying attention somewhere else: Is the most productive and rationale thing to do (read "The Dip" because it really drives this point home).

Of course if this is just a short term sticking point and there are long term benefits that you can receive then you are just in The Dip and you should stay committed, persevere, and get through the tough times since all the value lies just around the bend. Of course here's the trick: seeing around the corner before you get there (is the road after the bend leading to a pot of gold, or just a dead end). And seeing beyond the bend requires seeing into the future. Something that us humans are really bad at.

So how about if we just see into the present and not the future to see if this is just a dip, or a long slide to failure. If the circumstances are providing value (more on that later), then the dip is probably just a dip and not a cliff to problems. Now we just have to identify value and not rationalize false behaviors (ie not be in denial and pretend that what is happening to us is valuable when it really isn't). A quick note on value (I'll post a bunch more about that later). Value is ALWAYS reciprocated. Sometimes it is hard to see what value is being received on both sides. So when you are trying to see if this is a dip, ask yourself the following questions:

"What value am I getting from my current circumstances?"

- and -

"What value am I providing to my current circumstances?"

And value during dips can be simple and small (although Seth, and I, advocates leaning into dips and getting huge value ... like putting in a ton of effort at the beginning of learning snowboarding). But if there is value both being extracted as well as provided (and learning why this dip is a dip can be just the value you need) then keep moving forward.

Final piece on value: decide what is valuable ahead of time; before you start a project. That way you don't need to figure out what's important in the heat of battle. Don't be a frozen stick-in-the-mud and unwilling to change your point of view on value, but have a good set of markers at the beginning. Most people do this intuitively; I'm just asking you to do it consciously (eg most women know that once their husbands become drug addicts and start beating them and the kids that this behavior represents a cliff to failure and not just a dip).

The other piece about The Dip that hit me hard was the fact that it is implicit in all human relationships and pursuits. Romantic relationships have dips; friendships; businesses; business partners; new businesses; jobs; lovers; parents; children ... they all have the potential for dips, and the potential for catastrophic failure. And you will be better off figuring out sooner rather than later if the bend in the road ahead means full steam ahead or slam on the brakes.

See you on the wire

- Steven
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