As I mentioned previously, last Thursday I had the pleasure of seeing Seth Godin live at the Improv in Tempe (and like Seth, I found it odd to be sitting in a nightclub at 8:00am)

Seth is an incredibly engaging speaker. He's bright, hilarious at times, and wildly thought-provoking. 

What's The Dip?  Might as well let the man who coined the term explain it…

"Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun.  Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point:  really hard, and not much fun at all.

And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle.

Maybe you're in a Dip – a temporary setback that you will overcome if you keep pushing.  But maybe it's really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try."

I was going to go into some long diatribe about "The Dip" and how it relates to real estate. But upon further contemplation, I'm not so sure that is appropriate. You see, The Dip is a very personal thing. MY dip may not be the same as YOUR dip (but we'll all have them), so I don't think it will do any good to tell you about my dips.

The sub-title of The Dip is "A little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick)". But it's not really about just about quitting. It's about pushing through The Dip and being a superstar. It's about being Vanilla ice cream (You'll have to read the book — or see Seth live…). Yes, there are times when you're on a dead end, or a "cul-de-sac" and you'll need to bail. But recognize The Dip, take advantage of it, and you can be that superstar.

The Dip is short (80 pages) and is a quick read (I blew through the first half in the doctor's waiting room — still waiting to find a spare half hour to finish it.) It's not really earth shattering material. Seth's given a name to something we've all experienced, and with a name, that gives us the ability to talk about it, to analyze it, and to yes, take advantage of it. 

So get The Dip. Read it, and heed it. Heck, I gave away one copy yesterday (it's in the mail Kelley), and I'll give away another right here. Just leave a comment on this post and I'll pull out my little spreadsheet and pick another random winner. This time, LOW number wins. (see the comments in the previous Seth post if you're confused). Given that it's a holiday weekend and traffic is light, I'll wait until Wednesday at 7:00pm MST pick the lucky winner. All the winner has to do is PROMISE that they will pass it on to someone else (there's even a little form in the back pages for this very purpose). The other copies I got for attending are going to my broker, and my 15 year old son, who happens to have one of the  most brilliant business minds I've ever seen.

Pamela Slim (who I'm almost certain is who I was talking to in the book signing line) has an excellent write-up about Seth's Tempe presentation. So does Sean Tierney and Francine Hardaway, all of whom were in attendance. Our favorite bloodhounds, Greg and Cathleen were there too.

Update: Another Phoenix attendee's perspective
And here is an excellent review of Seth's presentation in Salt Lake City, which he jetted off to immediately following the Tempe session.

And no, I didn't take these great photos. They are used with the permission of one Adam Nollmeyer, an outstanding Phoenix photographer who owns and operates Acme Photography. Check out some of his portfolio! Thanks Adam!

[tags]Seth Godin, The Dip, Seth Godin in Phoenix, Seth Godin in Tempe[/tags]