Dips and Cul-de-sacs
There is absolutely nobody who can strip and scrape away unnecessary paint in order to get to the natural wood like Seth Godin can. I actually don't know if he knows his methylen dichlorides and sodium hydroxides from his disc and belt sanders, but he's definitely the master of filtering through all the BS that infiltrates our business brains so that we can focus on what really and truly matters most - being exceptional, spreading ideas, laser focus on customers...the list goes on and on. You'd think at some point that Seth would eventually run into a thought wall like bands go into album slumps, but it just doesn't seem to be happening. Evidence of this is SG's new book that speaks to the dilemma Kenny Rogers made famous when he sang, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run." The book is called, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick).
We've talked about this idea in regard to relationships, but it is a topic integral to just about everything we do. Jobs, projects, and relationships tend be fresh and exciting at first, but what happens when the honeymoon period ends and things turn tough? What happens when you have worked hard and with passion only to find yourself in a constant state of difficulty and doubt? What happens when the project you started all of the sudden pulls up seaweed instead of salmon? Basically, what are we supposed to do when we hit a, or the, low point in our careers, projects, or relationships?
Seth has again stripped away all grit and grime and reframed a most difficult topic. He has put these low points into two distinct categories. When things get really really hard, you are either in a "Dip", or you just drove into a "Cul-de-Sac." The Dip is just that - a dip. Dip implies a temporary place out of which we can climb if we keep pushing. Sometimes when things aren't going right, we have to buckle down and work our way out of that dip. On the other hand, sometimes it's just not possible to work our way out of the valley. These low points are called Cul-de-sacs because no matter how hard we try or how much genuine effort we exert, the situation will never get better.
In The Dip, Seth partially destroys the myth that, "Quitters never win." Sometimes, if you want to be a winner, you have to learn how to "quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt." If you want to be a superstar - if you want to stand out and become successful - it is essential you be able to recognize the difference between dips and cul-de-sacs in everything you do. You have to fight your way out of dips for the right reasons, and quit the cul-de-sac as soon as possible. There's simply no point in putting a lot of effort into a project, job, or relationship if it's not the right project, job, or relationship FOR YOU.
Here's another way to think about it. Today's world increasingly rewards the people and organizations that are #1 at what they do. If you are truly great, you'll find success. But if you continuously misidentify your low points, you will probably find yourself eternally crawling uphill. If you walk away from a dip, then you probably don't have what it takes to be the best. If you can't walk away from a cul-de-sac, then chances are you will be mired in mediocrity because you will be trying to make something work that just isn't going to work.
Deciphering our low points has never been easy. I'm sure you've all walked away from something thinking, "Boy, I don't know, that was a pretty good situation." Conversely, I KNOW we've all stayed with something for the same reason - it's a pretty good situation. But pretty good can turn into bad in a hurry if the situation we are in is not right for us.
Seth, like only Seth can, walks us through the differences between dips and cul-de-sacs, helps us recognize them for ourselves, and finally, gives us the tools and confidence to know that whether we stay or go, the decision we are making is ultimately the decision we SHOULD be making.
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