Product Description
The old saying is wrong-winners do quit, and quitters do win.
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.
According to bestselling author Seth Godin, what really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.
Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you'll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.
Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps. Either they fail to stick out the Dip-they get to the moment of truth and then give up-or they never even find the right Dip to conquer.
Whether you're a graphic designer, a sales rep, an athlete, or an aspiring CEO, this fun little book will help you figure out if you're in a Dip that's worthy of your time, effort, and talents. If you are, The Dip will inspire you to hang tough. If not, it will help you find the courage to quit-so you can be number one at something else.
Seth Godin doesn't claim to have all the answers. But he will teach you how to ask the right questions.
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 Good ( sefriedm )
I found this book to be a pretty good self-check catalyst. It won't answer questions for you, but will show you what questions to ask yourself.
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Are You In A Dip?
When I was young, I rarely read anything. Even all the way through school when I had book reports to do, I never read the entire book. I had no motivation, no mentor sharing with me the importance of reading, and basically always found other things to do. But as I've grown, matured, gained in wisdom, I've found that reading is one of the most important things you can do to grow as a person.
The most recent book I've completed is Seth Godin's "The Dip". It's a small book, at only 80 pages long, so it was a really quick read. Seth explains the three different paths to all decisions: The Dip, The "Cul-de-sac" and the Cliff.
While I was reading the book, I keep thinking to myself, this is all "duh" material (stuff we should all already know), but then I found myself highlighting more & more statements that stood out for me.
The book is about how it's alright to quit something when you realize that the end result isn't going to be the right outcome for you, your family, your career. Seth shares that it's alright to quit, and that the old saying "Winners never quit" is the wrong way to think.
The AHA! moment for me in the book was when Seth told about how you should determine, up front, all the things that would cause you to quit something---before you ever start---and then hold to these items and not let other issues hinder your path (i.e., because it's hard, because you're tired, etc.).
In the end, it's a book I wish someone would have encouraged me to read soon after graduating from high school.
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 another self-hate book makes the rounds
There must be well over five thousand self-help books now since the self-help movement began in the mid-sixties, and "The Dip" is the next evolution of titles that gets you to exchange your money for wisdom you can find on bumper stinkers. The formula, which was once a sprawling set of lists and rules to remember (here's the "ten steps to success," here's the "twenty-one stages of recovery," here's the "cave of the unknown," the "palace of infinite possibilities" - are you sick yet?), is now collapsed into short books like this kind, full of different fonts and bold, italic or underlined type telling you everything you already know or at least suspected but now you're just a little bit poorer for pinning your hopes of changing on yet another book about how to live your life by a man you don't know nor will ever meet. The mildly amusing author explains that dreams and hopes must be worked hard for, but the price is ascending the mountain - totally profound. What I most objected to (and I read this book at Borders) is his assumption that people who are average in their skills are losers. Only the best are winners. Do you really need this kind of therapy? Do you really want to feel like garbage again? Buy this book then. I've learned to avoid this new wave of self-hurt books and to keep my money in a bank. I may not be growing, but at least I know my money is.
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 Concise ( johnneardc )
"This book is really short. Short books are hard to write, but you made me do it. My readers are excellent correspondents, and this is something I've learned from them along the way: Write less." --Seth Godin
Damn straight. This book is an exercise in brevity. I often recommend that readers preview a key chapter before deciding whether to commit to a book. No need with this one--just take an extra 20 minutes and read the whole thing. Borrow it instead of buying it; the key points will stick with you.
Godin's points are straightforward:
* Comes a time in doing anything when it gets hard and stops being fun.
* If it is something you can be the best at, stick with it through the "dip."
* If it isn't something you can excel at, quit. And excel at something else.
* Learn to recognize such "cul-de-sacs" and avoid even starting such paths.
* Endlessly coping without either excelling or quitting is a trap.
* Systems are designed to exploit "copers" in various ways. Beware.
* There are eight common causes of "dips." Beware some more.
That's pretty much it. There are some good stories about Vince Lumbardi, Butch Cassidy, the space shuttle, and Microsoft. But they build on the main points. There is good advice here. It would be worth your time, even if it were longer.
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Very important concept but could have been written better
This book is confusing. When I first read it I was down-right angry - it seemed trivial and a complete waste of time. I even went as far as to write a horrible review about it here at amazon. But...
On the next day I was studying Japanese and it was so difficult I seriously thought about quiting and that's when I heard Seth's voice "Hard things are the successful man's best friend...they ward off competiton, they make you unique...embrace them". At that point the thought about quitting was no more and a few days after that I even felt I was starting to get the hang of this Japanese thing.
Smart fellow this Godin dude. My suggestion ...
Buy the book and try not to be too upset after your first read. the book (although written poorly) contains a very powerful idea.
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