We hit the dip in between the beginners rapid acquisition of skills and complete mastery. This lull in the process is where most people settle or quit. Our growth slows and many people lose interest or determination. The dip is what defines the importance of our work. The steeper this final ascent is, the fewer people emerge on the other side. In order to thrive during this process it is important to marshall all of your resources to help buffer your chances for success.
This requires sacrifice. We have all been taught to value well rounded people. But in order to reach the pinnacle of any worthwhile endeavor, you will have to give up this perceived value of a broad skill set. The dip is about specialization and about being the best in the world. Godin points out a fallacy in education that anyone who reads books of this nature are likely to abide by, “Hardworking, motivated people find diversification a natural outlet for their energy and drive…and yet the real success goes to those who obsess.” With the rare exception of a Bach or Michelangelo, we must sacrifice diversity to succeed.
This specialization means quitting. It means quitting a lot. Godin insists, “quitting regularly to free up the resources to invest in the right business”. Before beginning define what conditions will cause you to quit. Quitting in a frustration or in a panic is amateur. If you want to open a restaurant, map out at exactly what loss of margin and what decline in customer base will cause you to quit. The failure in quitting is not realizing when to quit. Like the restaurant owner who peddles Italian one week and Thai the next, grappling at gimmicks as he watches his business sink.
Lets be clear on what quitting means. Quitting is always a strategy for furthering ones end goals. That means our rock star should never quit music. But if his profession is drumming, he may not have time to learn guitar, produce other artists, and pursue photography on the side. Quit products or features within your market, never quit the market. Quitting the market itself can lead to cyclical short-term quitting. The market is something you are passionate about. Simply walking away may bring back the itch at a later time, causing you to have to begin the dip all over again. Quitting is a long term strategy, not a short term fix.
Note: This article is part 2 in a 3 part series on Seth Godin’s book The Dip. The final installment in this series will discuss leaning into the dip and building a support team. If you missed it, go back to part 1 or read ahead to part 3.
To read more about The Dip I suggest you purchase The Dip by Seth Godin. Seth is a writer/blog/marketing evangelist with several best selling books on business and marketing. I also recommend checking out his blog and his book website for The Dip.