#MSquaredMondayMotivation

As a career coach, I’m often asked to advise if a client should quit or not (a career, a product line, a business arm, etc.). My response never deviates. I tell them to read The Dip by Seth Godin, first and foremost, then we will talk. I still find it invaluable after many reads—professionally, and personally.

In the book, Godin talks about an all-too-familiar phenomenon which he calls the dip. Dips invariably occur at one point or another as we climb the ladder to success. What happens is this:

• We embark on a new venture, filled with ambition and passion.
• In the beginning, we see tremendous success. Our results soar. Sales boom. We’re packing on pound-after-pound of muscle. We are thriving.
• That is, until, we reach a dip. A bump in the road. After getting used to the idea of floating on our cloud of boundless achievement, we falter, and our progress is halted.

That’s what usually happens, in some way or another. We all reach a dip at some point or another. And what do many of us do when we reach that dip??We quit.

We quit because times are tough. We quit because we want more money. We quit because we’re afraid of failure, and so we jump ship rather than going down with it, putting in the hard work to come out the dip into a J-curve that makes us soar again. I challenge and motivate every reader today that instead of just quitting, search deep inside, check all your facts, and confirm you’re in a cul-de-sac (meaning zero way out or options) before you quit.

In his book, Godin tells us that we have two choices. That is, to quit, or to become exceptional. Those who make it through the dip become exceptional when they can see past the challenges and realize the dip is an opportunity not a cul-de-sac. Most don’t do their homework and simply choose to quit.

What happens, as a result, is that survivors of the dip become invaluable. They’re scarce, since most people quit, and we all know that scarcity creates value. There’s nothing more rewarding than learning you’re just in a J-curve dip and if you apply yourself you’ll end up better than before OR that you’re in a cul-de-sac, your circumstances won’t change regardless of how much you kill yourself in your environment today and decide to quit to THRIVE . Whichever your situation is today, do not fear and act.

See, if you wish to craft your passion into a career, into a lifestyle, you’ve got to get used to pushing past the dip. As Godin himself wrote,

“Never quit something with great long-term potential just because you can't deal with the stress of the moment.”?

Analyze your situation. Ask for guidance to help determine if you are in a dip or cul-de-sac then formulate your plan. Once you decide, keep going. Prove how much you want the outcome you desire, persist, become exceptional and you will achieve greatness! Learning when to quit could change your life forever.

If you're considering changing jobs. "Changing jobs will not prevent dips but just re-invent them. The important questions are: 1) are the issues really a big deal? 2) Are the big issues systemic??You can work with #1 being a yes, but if the answer to #2 is yes, that's when to look for other opportunities" added my acquaintance Eddie Koehler . On point!

I hope this article is beneficial for you in your decisions to quit in the future!