The Dip. By Seth Godin

We talk a lot about the start here. It’s probably because I struggle with the executive skill of Task Initiation. What you find you speak about the most tends to be the area of greatest opportunity. I have to work and remind myself of getting started.

And then, sometimes, by working on the start, I end up starting too much.

Why do we have to figure out a balance? Why can’t we just do everything that our minds think of?

Oh right, because I’m one person, and I still only have 24 hours a day. We can’t start everything, we have to be starters, but we also have to be quitters.

Quitters! What? No, that just can’t be right. Why should we be just as proficient at quitting as in starting.

When we look at the successful people in our lives, those we want to emulate, those we strive to follow, they’re great starters, and they are great quitters.

“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. They just quit the right stuff at the right time.” – Seth Godin

Seth Godin is a genius. He’s a genius because he didn’t write a huge book talking about quitting, task initiation, project prioritization and managing change. Actually, it’s only 80 pages. And the book, well, it’s about 6 inches long, and half an inch thick.

They’re not only great starters, they are great quitters.

Think small. Not long. Not verbose.

Simple, to the point. Clear.

I love when there’s a simple book to read that makes a great impact.

That’s the Dip.

The Dip is what happens after you start. First you start, then once the novelty wears off, we experience the Dip. It’s in the Dip that we decide if we’re going to push through or start something new. Sometimes we need to quit in the Dip, because it’s a dead end or a cliff—there is no future.

Other times, we need to decide beforehand that when we experience the Dip, we will push through.

“Decide before the race the conditions that will cause you to stop and drop out. You don’t want to be out there saying, ‘Well gee, my leg hurts, I’m a little dehydrated, I’m sleepy, I’m tired, and it’s cold and windy.’ And talk yourself into quitting. If you are making a decision based on how you feel at that moment, you will probably make the wrong decision.” – Dick Collins, ultramarathon runner

So, Seth Godin talks about the importance of deciding when to quit. Only you can decide that. But many of us probably quit before we actually achieve our goal. What did you set out to accomplish? You can be the best in what you’re pursuing, you need only to push through the Dip.

Seth says that if you can’t be the best, quit now, and then find something that you can be the best in. Can you be the best at what you’re doing in your world?

Yes, it’s possible. 

Steve Jobs once said, “I’m just as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done.”

So start. And quit. Bring focus to what you’re working on. You’ll see the results you want only when you focus.

“How dare you waste it. You and your organization have the power to change everything. To create remarkable products and services. To over deliver. To be the best in the world. How dare you squander that resource by spreading it too thin. How dare you settle for mediocre just because you’re busy coping with too many things on your agenda, racing against the clock to get it all done.” – Seth Godin

Don’t get it all done. Just get done what only you can do. Then do it really well.

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