The Dip

Seth Godin talks about The Dip. The Dip is the point in any venture where it gets hard. The Dip is when effort doesn’t seem to be getting results. It’s the point where most people quit.

And The Dip is real. I know because I’ve spent time there. In some areas of my life I’m spending time there now.

This is my second season on a snowboard. I’m in The Dip.

Five months ago I went full-time with Analytive. I’ve been in The Dip.

At various other point in my life from programming, to marketing, to dancing, to guitar playing, I’ve spent time in The Dip.

But getting out of The Dip is what matters. Pushing through when things aren’t going well. Keeping the pedal to the floor when the tires just seem to be spinning.

And in just the past few months I’ve talked to some companies that have given up. They’ve thrown in the towel on growth or even the whole business. They settled down to get jobs somewhere else.

They didn’t survive The Dip.

The truth is, you have to decide whether you are going to push through The Dip before you even start. Otherwise, it’ll be way to easy to give up.

So before you decide to snowboard, start a business, or learn a language, you must ask: Are you willing to push through The Dip? If the answer is no, don’t even start. If the answer is yes, then let’s go.