Book Review: The Dip by Seth Godin

Last week on a plane trip between Atlanta and Dallas I read The Dip (as I do with all Seth Godin’s books). Here’s a review and an endorsement.

The Dip - A little book that Teaches You When to Quit - (And Teaches You When to stick)

By Seth Godin
Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover
Copyright 2007
ISBN-10: 1591841666
ISBN-13: 978-1591841661

Excerpt

Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you’re in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it’s really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.

Review

The Dip really is a thin book, 80 pages in it’s entirety and the pages are small and liberally spaced. However, sometimes good things do come in small packages, The Dip is one of these packages.

The premise of the book is that you need to understand when to cut your losses and when to power through. One analogy Seth uses is that the biggest benefits from working out mainly come right at the point you don’t think you can go any farther if you push through when things start to burn then you start the process to build muscle and improve endurance. In your career the same applies, if you break that stall you can start to realize relatively large benefits from overcoming the most difficult challenges. Conversely, you must know when continued effort is not going to bring you any more benefit. The key is to understand when there is no chance of achieving your potential and that quitting can be a smart tactic. And that moving on to a more rewarding challenge is the best course of action.

The Dip is a good lesson in opportunity cost, especially when applied to your career. Not knowing when to quit can prevent you from being exceptional. Sometimes quitting is hard, especially because most people don’t do well with uncertainty. I wonder how many successful people really fall short of their true potential by taking the safer path.

Overall the book is good, succinct and useful, it’s reinforced by easy to grasp examples and points are illustrated by business card illustrator Hugh MacLeod.

Other Resources

• Seth Godin’s Blog
• Squidoo Lens on The Dip

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