Finally got around to reading The Dip.
Godin is sometimes considered reductionistic, but I like his white linen approach. It clarifies in all the places I obfuscate.
Case in point, he got me thinking about how I describe myself as a generalist, but he encourages specialization. So I quickly nuanced it: Am I a generalist who specializes, generally, or a specialist who generalizes specifically? They’re probably the same and both likely miss the mark with over-populated language that communicates little.
In that vein, more importantly than whether or not I’m a career specialist are all the things I specialize in that distract me from my career–and from all meaningful pursuits.
So here are a few examples stream of consciousness style. Do they resonate? What do you specialize in that distracts rather than clarifies?
1. Over-complication: Blanket apology to anyone who has ever read one of my posts. My ability to weave together a tapestry of discordant threads with hundreds of mixed metaphors is way more awesome in my mind than to any audience. Distraction meter is high on this one. And what looks like storytelling can end up as rumination, perseveration (insert your favorite jargony word, here).
2. Control: I specialize in that cement grip that crushes all conversation around surrender. But if Godin is correct, strategic surrender isn’t failure but success. To reference my previous post, it’s all about who and what we surrender to.
3. Procrastination: Yep, it’s meta. Distraction breeds further distraction. There are a number of circuitous routes I take to get there on any given day–convincing myself that this project is essential to complete before x, y, and z. All are deceptively rationalized as central, but they’re really not.
4. Doubt: The ultimate obscurifier (yes, a neologism meaning the purifier of obscurity). If we want burgeoning success to end in obscurity (deflated and invisible), the quickest way is to specialize in doubting our decisions. We accomplish this through continuous examination of pitfalls with no alternative options considered.
Since Seth talks about abandoning more for the sake of better (site), the conscious decision to de-specialize in distractions seems essential. If I do that, my likelihood of specializing in the good, noble, and just (the powerful trio) increases. At this crucial point the gravitas of nobility, justice, and beneficence creates a sustainable force strong enough to traverse even the most curvaceous obstacles.
So with the trio in tow and my compass fixed north, it looks like it’s time to take another dip in the dip….