the dip [Hardcover]

Do you remember starting something new that interested you? Chances are the world seemed a little brighter, a little more inviting, and your smile was a little wider that day.

Now, remember how that same activity seemed after six months had passed. It's likely you weren't having as much fun; progress was hard to accomplish; and frustration was starting to build. That's what a dip feels like.

That sequence is the normal experience and psychology of creating worthwhile results.

But in some cases, you are headed for a dead end where results will never amount to much (if you ever see me play golf, you'll know what I'm talking about). In rarer cases, results just keep going downhill forever (if you've seen me run lately, you'll get the idea).

Many people make mistakes when "the going gets tough."

1. Some will keep going even though future results won't reward the effort (such as those who keep trying to master something for which they have little ability). This behavior is usually the result of bad habits (like always following tradition . . . or existing beliefs) I call "stalls" that harm progress.

2. Others will quit before they break through into improvements that make an enormous difference (going through a dip) and miss the chance to get great benefits from continuing, well-focused effort. The "best in the world" (or "best in your corner of the world") will get a disproportionate share of the benefits from what everyone does. Who is going to pay much attention to the 1,000,001 ranked book reviewer on Amazon? People who behave this way are usually suffering from the procrastination, bureaucracy, ugly duckling or disbelief stalls (see The 2,000 Percent Solution).

In past books by Mr. Godin, I've criticized him for taking an article and stretching it too far into a book. I've also mentioned that he sometimes forgets to explain what to do.

In The Dip, Mr. Godin has broken through his dip and avoided both of those problems. This book is only slightly longer than it needed to be. It has excellent advice on how to tell the difference between future potential and lack of opportunity. The point about disproportionate rewards is also well developed.

Nice going, Mr. Godin!

Winners never quit right? Well sometimes they do, but only at things that will hold them back from being more successful.

Have you ever felt that something is just not worth going on with and it is time to look in a different direction? Well that is called the "dip" and if you aren't careful you could get stuck in the "cul-de-sac" of life with no significant advancement in any direction.

So what should you quit and what should you stick to? That is up to you but reading this book will help you make those crucial decisions.

Seth Godin's books are always catchy, "un-put-down-able" and this one is no different. Short and sweet you can get a lot of bang out of this quick read.

Todd Millar, Glenn Simon Inc.

"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.