Le DIP : Un petit livre qui vous enseignera quand renoncer (et quand…

This book was recommended to me by a work colleague, and it's a short, quick read. The main point of the book seems to me to circle around an idea that is common sense: when people approach a task - marketing a new product, picking up a new skill, and so on - they need to persevere through the dip. The dip is that period of time when the work involved feels difficult and overwhelming, and the temptation to quit becomes pressing. The author contends that the difference between people who succeed, and those who fail, can be traced back to whether or not they pushed through the dip. If they make it through that slump, then they are rewarded with the money or recognition or expertise that most other people never achieve.

The reason a lot of this felt like common sense to me was because I believe most people recognize that after the excitement of starting on a new project, there inevitably comes a time where the gloss of starting something new wears off, and we hit a slump. To me, that slump is the dip. The work feels harder, and it's easy to just stop. Most of this book is encouragement to not stop, using rhetoric such as anecdotes and hyperbole. The book also notes that the steeper the dip - the harder it is to finish, the greater the odds that are stacked against you are - the more success that awaits for those who get through it. I think all of this sounds reasonable, and matches what I've personally experienced when it comes to taking on new challenges. I also thought it was interesting that Godin provided descriptions of two other paths that might seem like a dip, but aren't: the cul-de-sac and the cliff. The cul-de-sac describes work that will never go anywhere no matter how hard people work, and the cliff describes work that seems to be going well before it abruptly collapses in failure.

It's important to recognize that these other scenarios exist, because it's naive to believe that if things aren't going well, it's just the dip, and if you work hard enough you'll eventually succeed. However, very little time is devoted to how people can distinguish between the dip, a cul-de-sac, or a cliff. Considering that the main advice of this book is to keep going when things get tough, I would have appreciated much more explanation of how to tell if I actually am in the dip, or if my hard work isn't going to go anywhere after all. Also, I was put off by the book's voice and style. The author uses a lot of hyperbole, along the lines of: if you're not number one, then you fail! If you're not a winner, you're a loser! This kind of pep talk does not motivate me; on the contrary, it actually distances me from the message. Also, the book incorporates fake math graphs - no numerical data on the x and y axis, no explanation of the research that informed the graphs. In fact, at one point, the book declares that if someone were to create a graph about a certain subject, it would probably look like ... Basically, the graphs are just made up based on how the writer thinks they should look, and that kind of nonsense data bothers me. If you don't have actual numbers, use a different kind of visual device. To sum up, I agreed with the book's main premise, but I wanted it be more fully explained in a more objective manner, and I find the style of the book jarring. ( )

Quick read (~30 minutes?), well worth its weight in inspiration. Go buy a copy, hell I'll buy you one. You won't regret it. ( )

While on a recent trip to Madison, Wisconsin, I picked up the book The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)* by Seth Godin. This book has been referenced countless occasions on a number of podcasts I listen to. So I was very pleased while browsing through a used bookstore to find this book. I just finished reading it. While I believe the message is really important, I was underwhelmed by the book itself. Read More
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I am a fan of Seth Godin. One of my favorite Seth Godin Books. In life, in business -- this is a good book to read. Simple to get with sticking power! ( )

¿Para qué escribir un buen post largo si puedes alargarlo innecesariamente hasta convertirlo en un mal libro corto? En este libro de 80 páginas hay unas 10 buenas, y el resto es relleno o repetición. The Dip es el bajón, las dificultades que aparecen cuando la curva de aprendizaje empieza a no ser tan agradable, se trate de la actividad que se trate: aprender un idioma, pilotar un avión, dominar un nuevo lenguaje de programación, química orgánica. Cuando empezamos con una actividad nueva los progresos se ven, se perciben diariamente, hasta que no. llegamos al Dip, a la zona del bajón. Y el autor sostiene, y ésta es la principal idea del libro, que al alcanzar ese punto hay que abandonar muchas veces. Pero abandonar conscientemente, como táctica de combate.
Hay un dicho en inglés que es Winners never quit, quitters never win, con la que el autor no puede estar más en desacuerdo. De hecho además del dip mete otros dos tipos de evolución en una actividad (un trabajo, unos estudios...): el callejón sin salida y el precipicio. El callejón sin salida es aquella actividad en la que vemos que no mejoraremos con el paso del tiempo. Aquella en la que vemos que podemos quedar instalados en la mediocridad cuando hayamos echado todo nuestro esfuerzo. Y también habla del precipicio, que esa aquella actividad de la que no podemos escapar hasta que reviente y todo finalice de manera catastrófica.

Al autor anima a buscar callejones sin salida y precipicios en las actividades en las que estamos involucrados, y abandonar inmediatamente cuando percibamos una de las dos. Y si estamos en el bajón, aguantarlo, forzarlo, obligarnos a sacar todo lo posible de él. Si es algo que merezca la pena, probablemente contiene un Dip. Y la frase de "no abandones nunca" la reescribe como "no abandones nunca algo que estratégicamente es bueno a largo plazo solo por as dificultades que estás teniendo a corto plazo". Abandonar solo porque llegamos al Dip es un error.

No hay que ser el primero en todo, solo en una cosa. A nadie le interesa que un buen piloto sea capaz además de analizar la literatura francesa del XIX.

El libro tiene algunas buenas ideas sueltas más. Se agradecería algo menos de repetición, pero entonces ya ni siquiera podría ser un libro corto. ( )