The Dip
I hit my first dip and here's what I'm doing about it.
Intro: If you haven’t read it, you probably have heard of it. An author by the name of Seth Godin is famous for his daily blog and best-selling books. One of his most popular books is called ‘The Dip’. Only 96 pages in length, it was one of the most important books I read last year.
Background: Towards the end of summer 21’ I was at an impasse in my life. I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life. I was 23, I was working for the school department, and saw no more room for growth. I knew I wanted to continue working with kids, and being the avid reader I am, I naturally shifted toward psychology books. Ultimately I thought going to school for psychology would be the route to take and give my life some direction. The first year went by so smoothly and I finished with a 4.0 loving every day of it. I recently changed positions in the school department to a behavior technician which is a great resume builder for me, and also a great career stepping stone. But school on the other hand started to change. I finished with pretty good grades this semester taking two classes and getting two Bs. So what’s the problem? I hit a dip.
The Dip: In his book, Godin says: “If it’s worth doing, there’s probably a dip.” What is a dip? A dip is when the initial excitement of something new wears off. You wanted to learn a language, and you were getting the basics down, then you either lost that initial excitement, or you hit a challenge and the fun started to fade away a little bit.
For me, this happened recently when my final grades with two Bs were submitted. I wasn’t disappointed in my grades, but the path became more difficult this time around. I was forced to reflect, rather than continue without issues. I hit my first speed bump. I looked at what went wrong. It was one psychology class, my chosen major, and an art class that I had to take as a gen-ed requirement. The art didn’t bother me, I just needed to get that out of the way. But the psychology class posed lots of challenges. I wasn’t grasping concepts, I was getting frustrated, and honestly, it was seeming like a chore. At the same time I was (still am) in the process of being a novice in my new position. I was going to be practicing applied behavior analysis and it seemed so exciting. I passed a difficult exam to get my credential and was eager to start. But I quickly realized how little I knew. I was wondering to myself if I was still in the right field or if I hit my ceiling. It’s not a pleasant feeling to feel like you hit your cognitive ceiling. I quickly remember the dip and the quote "The Dip is the long slog between starting and mastery." Along with “Don't quit when you hit the dip. If you can’t make it through the Dip, don’t start.”
Now: I have finished the semester and am about to be on holiday vacation for 11 days. While I will have time to regroup, my decision has already been made. It was made when I started school, and when I took my new position. I’m not staying the course to be stubborn, but because deep down I still have the passion. I’m just hitting the dip. and there will be more dips. What I’m doing now is reminding myself that this feeling is all part of the process. The journey will continue.
Quitting: Not everyone should stick it out, there are times to quit and one of my all-time favorite quotes (not from ‘The Dip’) is “If you find yourself in a hole, then stop digging.” Before you quit though ask yourself these questions:
If I quit this task, will it increase my ability to get through the Dip on something more important?
Is the pain of the Dip worth the benefit of the light at the end of the tunnel?
If I’m going to quit anyway, is there something dramatic I can do instead that might change the game?
Closing: It took me over a full year to hit a dip, some people hit it a week, or a month after beginning a new endeavor. Each dip is as unique as the person on the journey. So if you’re thinking of starting something drastically new, a career change, a business, learning something new, or going to school, ask yourself “can I make it through the dip?”
Thank you all for reading if you found this interesting or helpful please share it with someone and I will see you all next time!