Reflection on The Dip by Seth Godin:

As we work towards progress, we are destined to have failures.

If not full failures, then at least moments of grind. Spinning our wheels. The struggle.

The dip. This is the dip:

(From Seth Godin’s The Dip–I have a copy if you’d like to borrow it)

It is inevitable. We have success at first then over time, we realize the complexity, step into uncharted areas, work towards mastery.

The dip creates scarcity and is the long slog between starting and mastery.

We should expect the dip, plan for it, and when we see it, lean into it. Embrace it. Consider it an OPPORTUNITY!

And above all, we should not quit when we are in the dip. Unless we realize it actually isn’t a dip or we have other dips to focus on.

Goals are great. They give us direction. But really goals can be cheap.

They gain value when we go through the dip with our goals. When we are invited into “galvanizing and insulating and perfecting”.

The dip is calling you. It’s asking you if you’ll engage with it. Use it as an opportunity. Let is refine and hone.

Will you lean into it?

We have to be candles,
burning between
hope and despair,
faith and doubt,
life and death,
all the opposites.
That is the disquieting place
where people must always find us.

And if our life means anything,
if what we are goes beyond the monastery walls and
does some good,
it is that somehow,
by being here,
at peace,
we help the world cope
with what it cannot understand.

-William Brodrick

There is a strong connection from this written reflection and the King of Pop’s music video, Man In The Mirror.

We have more power than we know. Not power as our culture initially imagines it but power of consistency, showing up, burning in between it all.

Faith, Love, Hope

When these are all three combined, who can oppose it?

Faith on its own can be opposed as it can be seen as exclusive or unloving

Love can be opposed because it can seem to be without consideration or naive.

Hope can be opposed when it seems futile or weak.

All these in a triad are hard to oppose. They support each other and sustain each other. They lean on each other when they are hard pressed.

Where we have faith, we should have love and hope. Where we have love we should have faith and hope. Where we have hope we should have faith and love.

If I could tell myself anything in 5, 10, 30 years, it would be to think first.

I hope this is a lesson I learn quickly because I hate the damage it causes.

I’m not acting with a mind of integrity, wholeness when I avoid thinking before speaking or doing. I have the urgency in mind.

I want to make progress NOW, gain buy in NOW, create a positive impression NOW…

But what does that action have to do with the other people around me, the person to come next, the person overhearing my joke…

The culture of my direct team members at work is different than when we are with the entire company.

I will be paying attention to these differences and work to neutralize them.

Often people will be more of themselves when they are in a close knit group and when that small group steps into a larger one, that integrity of self and team is diluted.

This is a huge loss. We should work to ensure those group cultures do not get lost when being brought into a larger setting.

That larger setting should reinforce the smaller group culture, not squelch it.

Yesterday it came. Anticipation built as I got the notification it had arrived.

I bought the book sight unseen. I’m realizing the trust I have for Seth Godin is incredible.

I know he operates with the highest of integrity, wholeness…

I am excited in my bones to tear into the pages of this piece of art and uncover the inspiration, passion that lies within me!

More about Titan

Settling for good enough is never good enough.

We should always be pushing the envelop, trying new things, innovating.

This is difficult when we operate without much excess. I’m finding that I can look for ways to innovate by thinking of microcosms. Noticing small areas that operate on their own, do not have much connection to other areas and can be adjusted or changed without much risk.

These microcosms will be areas I’m going to work to innovate. The small team of people I work closely with, the one meeting where I’m trying something new, a new friendship with a different attitude…

It will take more effort in these little environments but it’s worth the cost to continue operating with innovation.

Ever time I leave a situation and I listened fully, intently, constantly, I leave feeling better about myself and feeling as though the other person was known and heard. But why don’t I do it more?

Well I’m selfish of course and I think I need to tell my story or give my input right away. The urgent need of wanting to be heard myself takes over and kicks out the importance of listening well.

Listening more always pays off better but often I trade it for the cheap option to speak and avoid listening.

It’s easy to tell what is a weak excuse. We can feel it in our bones when we give one. There are always good excuses but the weak ones carry strong dissonance.

Integrity of Self and Integrity of Action call for dispelling these excuses.

Calling them out by name.

Make way for the truest path. Do not let your feeble excuses get in the way.

Words above are inspired by the deep wisdom of Alex Crist.

This was the cover of Patagonia’s recent catalog:

I like it because when I look back often it seems like a murky cloud of who knows what.

Its important for me to instead focus on what my hands are doing and what is ahead. I can get fixated on imagining what is beyond the fog and what I thought the past was but more importantly and more clear is the present and what is ahead.