I feel like giving up.
Almost every day.
Now, not all day long, but at least for a few moments every day. You, too?
You’re probably one of those high-expectation people, a high-flyer, someone dedicated to their success. You’re used to running into obstacles, and addressing them…most of the time.
Running through your head you hear, “Winner’s never quit.” And you’re a winner so you never want to quit.
But winners do quit. All the time.
The difference is winners know when to quit and when to stay the course. They quit the right stuff when the time is right.
The key is, of course, being able to figure out what to quit, why and when.
There’s this little thing that happens to all of us when we’re working on our business—we lose interest or motivation. The “thing” seems hard. It’s providing little reward. You don’t have enough time for it, or maybe it just feels too risky.
Seth Godin calls it The Dip.
He explains it this way…
In the beginning “it” is fun. You’re energized. The project has nothing but potential. Maybe you even get great feedback.
Then The Dip arrives.
“It” has become a slog. Loads of paperwork, not enough money coming in, tons of moving parts that don’t seem to come together, not enough team to keep it in motion.
You lose interest.
If it’s worth doing, you must recognize there will be a dip. Comes with the territory.
The issue is figuring out if The Dip is just the waystation between starting and success, between beginning and mastery, or if it’s really a waste of your time.
Most people will just quit.
The smart ones will evaluate, consider if this is a “strategic quit” or an “I’m tired” quit. Real winners will consider if this is a “strategic quit,” and “I’m tired of this” quit or just the arrival of The Dip…with success looming on the other side.
When you begin to recognize that you’re in the way of your own success, your decision to quit will be strategic, not just because you’re tired of it.
And your recognition that The Dip is coming…at some point…will enable you to push through it because success is on the other side.
Go forth and do great things,
