Book Review: The Dip, Seth Godin
Book Review: The Dip
, Seth Godin, A Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit And When To Stick
The Dip? What is The Dip?
Being #1 is worth the effort, but it requires lots of quitting.
Most things worth doing can be described by two curves, either a cul-de-sac or a dip.
A cul-de-sac is a dead end. The Dip is the “hard part” between getting started and becoming the best. If you’re going to reach a dead end, it’s better to quit early. No amount of effort, positive thinking, or anything else will help. The Dip in contrast, requires lots of persistence to get through, but results in enormous success.
For example, I rowed crew in high school with Andy Sudduth who eventually made it to the Olympics (twice) and won a medal. I didn’t make it to the Olympics – instead I quit, which was the right decision.
Why? I enjoyed rowing, I was good, but I could never be great. This cul-de-sac was caused by my leg length. All great rowers need long legs. At 5’10”, I could never be the best in the world. I’d never make the Olympics, never mind win a medal, no matter how hard I tried.
Andy wasn’t facing a cul-de-sac. He was taller and otherwise better than I was. He powered his way through The Dip and emerged victorious. There may have been other equally talented rowers, but most people give up even when they are facing The Dip, not a sure dead end.
Why is being the best so good? The difference between good and great is vast! How much more does a rock star make than an average excellent musician? I’m a successful business book author, but I probably sell 1% or less of the books Seth does – he’s at the top of the heap. People beg him to speak for tens of thousands of dollars. Some people ask me to speak -- for a lot less.
Being the best is worth it – is worth the hard work to get through The Dip. Being the best means quitting when you can’t be the best.
The Dip is available for pre-order at Amazon. I like it! Highly recommended.
, Seth Godin, A Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit And When To StickThe Dip? What is The Dip?
Being #1 is worth the effort, but it requires lots of quitting.
Most things worth doing can be described by two curves, either a cul-de-sac or a dip.
A cul-de-sac is a dead end. The Dip is the “hard part” between getting started and becoming the best. If you’re going to reach a dead end, it’s better to quit early. No amount of effort, positive thinking, or anything else will help. The Dip in contrast, requires lots of persistence to get through, but results in enormous success.
For example, I rowed crew in high school with Andy Sudduth who eventually made it to the Olympics (twice) and won a medal. I didn’t make it to the Olympics – instead I quit, which was the right decision.
Why? I enjoyed rowing, I was good, but I could never be great. This cul-de-sac was caused by my leg length. All great rowers need long legs. At 5’10”, I could never be the best in the world. I’d never make the Olympics, never mind win a medal, no matter how hard I tried.
Andy wasn’t facing a cul-de-sac. He was taller and otherwise better than I was. He powered his way through The Dip and emerged victorious. There may have been other equally talented rowers, but most people give up even when they are facing The Dip, not a sure dead end.
Why is being the best so good? The difference between good and great is vast! How much more does a rock star make than an average excellent musician? I’m a successful business book author, but I probably sell 1% or less of the books Seth does – he’s at the top of the heap. People beg him to speak for tens of thousands of dollars. Some people ask me to speak -- for a lot less.
Being the best is worth it – is worth the hard work to get through The Dip. Being the best means quitting when you can’t be the best.
The Dip is available for pre-order at Amazon. I like it! Highly recommended.
Labels: Seth Godin, The Dip
posted by Ted Demopoulos at 12:29 PM
Comments on "Book Review: The Dip, Seth Godin"
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Bryan Person, Bryper.com said ... (Wednesday, March 28, 2007 8:26:00 AM) :
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Ted Demopoulos said ... (Wednesday, March 28, 2007 10:39:00 AM) :
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Anonymous said ... (Monday, June 16, 2008 7:23:00 AM) :
post a commentI think that the difficult part really is knowing whether you've hit a dead end and should quit, or fight your way through The Dip. It isn't always obvious.
I'm actually scheduled to interview Seth about the book for a Monster podcast in a few weeks. Can't wait!
Bryan -- certainly agreed!
Seth is a great interview, but everyone interviews him. Hey, he's even in "What No One Ever tells You About Blogging and Podcasting."
You should interview me too! Why do bald guys get all the attention. I'll shave my head, promise :)
Seth is a dip. What's the insight here? That sometimes you have to power through adversity to be great? And sometimes you have to give up? THAT's an insight?