Getting Through the Dip: The Struggle is Real…Really Good!
We’re all too familiar with how real the struggle can get, but it’s hard to recognize how good that struggle is in the long run. No career path, hobby, relationship, goal, etc. is immune to “The Dip.” Seth Godin summarizes, “The Dip is the long slog between starting and mastery.” It’s part of being human.
You’ve just had a week of exceptionally poor cold calls, or perhaps even several weeks. You’ve been hung up on, given every possible objection, and booked no meetings. Hopeless, annoyed, defeated, and ready to call it quits, it seems counterintuitive to say that congratulations are in order.
While you have no say in when or how you encounter these “dips” life has in store, you do have control over the severity and duration. Seth Godin explains,
“A long slog that’s a shortcut because it gets you where you want to go faster than any other path. The Dip is flexible. It responds to the effort you put into it.”
You’re in The Dip, and now is the time to double down on your efforts. What’s “The Dip?” Seth Godin wrote a whole book about it, a quick and insightful read if you need a guided moment of introspection. But for now, let’s talk about why you should embrace the struggle.
Knowledge is Power
How can you possibly win a game you don’t even realize you’re playing?
The most difficult part of overcoming “dips” is an inability to recognize them in the first place. Godin assures us that, “Knowing you’re facing a Dip is the first step in getting through it.” When faced with uncertainty, negative thoughts cloud your perspective and cause you to subconsciously develop behaviors that impede your progress and create self-doubt. Christian Mory, Enterprise Account Manager at Praetorian, talks about the importance of simply being able to identify “The Dip,”
“It’s hard to see it when you’re in it. Once you realize what it is, what it feels like, then you’ll be increasingly able to recognize it in the future, mitigate self-doubt, and make rational forward-thinking decisions.”
Starting his career as an SDR at memoryBlue, Christian has overcome more than his fair share of “dips” along the way to building a successful sales career. While he, like many, can recall feeling stuck, in too deep, and anxiety-ridden at various points in life, Christian now feels that:
“Ideally a dip is a time to be thoughtful, relax and think critically.” You can use the dip to iron out and perfect your skills.
Recommit Yourself
The Dip will weed out those who can’t hack it. Now’s the time to double down.
- Fight impatience with determination and try a new approach.
- Take inventory of the strategies you’ve tried, the things that have worked, the things that haven’t.
- Abandon ineffective tactics, not the long-term pursuit.
To become the best, you must relentlessly rededicate yourself.
Godin reminds us,
“Real success goes to those who obsess. The focus that leads you through the Dip to the other side is rewarded by a marketplace in search of the best in the world.”
Each time you quit in the dip, you’ve wasted your time, energy, and usually money. And even if you were to walk away, you’re only going to find yourself faced with the same feelings in pursuit of the shiny new endeavor that seems much more promising in your current moment of struggle. Godin warns,
“While starting up is thrilling, it’s not until you get through the Dip that your efforts pay off.”
Furthermore, you’re going to see little to no return on the efforts you’ve expended up to this point. Serial quitters are constantly seeking, never mastering, and spending more time stuck in those feelings of self-doubt and disappointment.
Nowhere to Go but Up
If you’ve hit rock bottom, you have nothing to lose; attack the dip with abandon!
Our brains are hardwired to focus on negative thoughts, feelings, events, and outcomes, even if those are equally or less frequent as their positive counterpoints.
Lean on those around you and strengthen your professional relationships by asking for help, taking advice, or helping someone else. While abandoning ineffective strategies, your coworkers, friends, or family are resources to find new ideas to try that will help you get through the Dip. Everyone around you is facing their own Dips, and there’s a lot to be said for realizing that you’re not alone. Keep pushing; It’s easy to enjoy the view from the top of the mountain, but it’s a treacherous climb to get there.
Interested in a Career Worthy of Overcoming the Dip?
memoryBlue is hiring multiple motivated Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) across each of our six offices in DC Metro, Austin (TX), Boston (MA), Denver (CO), Silicon Valley (CA), and Seattle (WA).
Learn More About Defeating the Dip: Stick it Out or Get Out: 3 Reasons to Keep Pushing and 3 Reasons to Quit
Elaine Luzietti is the Content Specialist on the memoryBlue marketing team. A compelling storyteller with over 6 years of experience in copywriting, creative strategy, and content management and design, Elaine creates company collateral for internal and external use. She holds a BA in Marketing, with a focus in Jazz Composition and Vocal Performance from Berklee College of Music.
