Have You Hit "The Dip?"

I just finished reading Seth Godin's book, "The Dip: A Little Book that Teaches You When to Quit (And When to Stick)." It originally came out in 2007 -- and although I'm a huge Seth Godin fan, I somehow missed this one.

Which is unfortunate, because the message in The Dip probably would have served me well in recent years.

Here are three simple concepts that Seth outlines in the book:

• Quit the wrong stuff.
• Stick with the right stuff.
• Have the guts to do one or the other.

He describes The Dip as follows:
At the beginning, when you first start something, it's fun. It's interesting. It's easy to stay engaged in it. Then the Dip happens. It's "the long slog between starting and mastery." You know, the hard part: the middle.

...When you start writing a resume and you're zipping along, and suddenly you don't know where to go next. You're simply stuck.
... When you start your business and get a whole bunch of clients, and then ... all of a sudden, it seems ... the phone stops ringing.
... Or you start to write a book, and the first few chapters seem to write themselves ... and then your brain freezes up.

That's the Dip. Read the book to find out how Seth suggests you get through it (and WHY it's important to get through it. And when you should QUIT instead of trying to get through it).

Here's a hint (from Seth):
"Successful people don't just ride out The Dip. They don't just buckle down and survive it. No, they lean into the Dip. They push harder, changing he rules as they go. Just because you know you're in the Dip doesn't mean you have to live happily with it. Dips don't last quite as long when you whittle at them."