So what is The Dip?

You know the length of time that passes between the day that find out that you (or your wife) is pregnant and the day that the baby is actually born? Or how about the stretch of time between landing that new job and getting that big promotion? Or even, that block of time between learning to throw a curveball and signing with the Mets. Well that’s what Seth Godin calls “The Dip”.

To put it a little more clearly, The Dip is the day to day stuff that you must endure to get to the next level of whatever it is you’re trying to do.

I read The Dip earlier this week. It’s a small book and a very quick read (I finished in under 2 hours). Don’t let the diminutive size fool you –it’s packed with wisdom. Godin explains that The Dip is a necessary process that we all need to go through in order to get to the next level –it’s the “paying your dues” part of success. Godin points out that most people quit once they hit the dip, that means the few that tough it out have a huge advantage over the rest.

Now this is by no means a “Never Give Up” book. In fact, Godin devotes a lot of time to explaining that there are times when you should quit – just not during the dip. I’ll explain…

My Back Pages…

In my old life I was a computer programmer. I landed a job while still in college and continued on after I graduated. I hit the dip and stuck around, getting a couple of promotions. The highpoint of my career there was the development of a mission critical database system. Now, at that time, the company used an outside service bureau for certain pieces of its business, this new system allowed us do all the work in-house, saving the company big bucks.

So once we had developed this new system, basically my productive time with the company was over. Sure, I was making decent money and I was included in a lot of the decision making, I just wasn’t breaking any new ground. I should have left once the new system was finished; instead I stuck around for another four years.

That period of time after the new system was live is what Godin terms a Cul-de-Sac. It’s the period of time when you’re not growing any longer, just living on your reputation. And it’s here that you need to quit!

From personal experience, I can tell you this is true. I worked at that job for almost 12 years, when I was ready to leave; I hooked up with a couple of job recruiters but had no luck. One recruiter told me “You didn’t do yourself any favor by staying at that job for so long”. He was right, what prospective employers would see on my resume was a guy who seemed to be stuck at one company, never learning anything new…

Ironically, in my case this worked out. You see, by then I was already involved in affiliate marketing. In fact, I was making some decent money already. Not being able to land a new job was actually one of the better things to happen to me —It allowed me to become my own boss!

Okay so back to The Dip, Godin offers some good ideas to help you determine whether you’re in a Dip or on a Cul-de-Sac. In other words, he helps you figure out whether whatever you’re doing is worth sticking with or if you should simply quit.

I can’t say this book changed my life. However, it has gotten me to start looking at some of the campaigns I’ve been running with a more critical eye. And yeah, I’ve already stopped a few pay-per-click campaigns that simply weren’t doing as well as I had hoped. The book is great at helping you sort through things with a more pragmatic eye. To make decisions based on what is better in the long term. Also, while I’ve focused on the business/career aspects of the book, the lessons learned can be applied to all facets of your life.

I do recommend The Dip, it will help you make the decisions necessary to become the best in the world!

Posted by David Olsen - Owner/Editor

Don't forget to get your SEO Success Guide! My FREE Ecourse that Will Show you how to beat your competition on Google and the rest... CLICK HERE!