 Challenging ourselves is an important part of life. The desire to experience something new and to conquer new grounds may often lead us to taking on new projects and endeavors. But while things may seem exciting at first, many new endeavors end up being more challenging than we expected. While everything may seem to be going well at first, soon we hit a plateau. Nothing seems to be moving and that leads us to question. If things are not working out, maybe it's a sign I shouldn't do it all together. Many do not know that as Seth Godin explains in his book The Dip, experiencing a sense of no progress at the beginning stages of new projects is more normal than you think. The gist of it is to understand how the dip works, how to overcome it, and in some occasions when not to waste your time. We already have the best singers in the world, the best computers, other creations, services, and products. When we have so many already existing options to choose from, we become extremely picky. It is increasingly difficult to reach a place where you or your product would become worthy of people's attention. Logically thinking, why would anyone choose your product or service when there are already trusted and approved alternatives? Hence, the dip. In one way, the dip is the phenomenon of being average, the opposite to outstanding. Whenever we start something new, it is natural that with lack of experience and gathered knowledge, we will have a difficult time standing out, especially with all the alternatives around. That is why in most cases, after beginning a new endeavor, we experience the usually long lasting stagnation. At the beginning, nobody cares about you, your service, or your product. And honestly, why should they? This may make the situation feel hopeless. For quite a while, everything you do doesn't seem to be working, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It takes time for you to gather experience and develop the necessary skills to stand out. While we may think that our new idea is the best, nobody will rush at you at first. You will need to grind, improve, develop, improve yourself. First, you do that to a very few people. As you, your service, or product gets better and better, more and more people start to notice you. As Cal Newport says, you become so good, they can't ignore you. Enough people start to recommend you to each other, and you start to feel progress again. But this process takes time and a lot of effort. That's why it may feel so demotivating when it's happening. But there is a reward at the end. If you pursue long enough, develop the necessary skills or level of quality to stand out, and build the required trust, you become the go-to or the best yourself. While others still struggle in the dip, you've already passed it and reaped the fruits of your long-lasting effort. Few people actually overcome the dip. That's why whoever passes it, we admire them. It's no coincidence that outstanding individuals or products are rare. Few are willing to experience the long-lasting discomfort of being in the dip. But if you do, your story changes altogether. Contrary to how many people think, overcoming the dip is not based only on hard work and effort. If you decide to create a hole in a wall by hitting it with your head, hardworking and continuous effort won't make the difference. It's not enough to work hard if you are doing the wrong thing or the same thing over and over again. Overcoming the dip depends not only on working hard, but also on adapting, learning from your mistakes, and changing with circumstances. Trying new things and strategies until you discover something that works. Something new, something that stands out. One way or another, almost every situation of the dip will require time as well. As author Jeffrey A. Moore explains in his book Crossing the Chasm, at the beginning of offering a new service or product, most people will be skeptical. Very few people are interested to try out new things and they rightfully have little trust towards you. There are so many new products or performers that pop up each day. It would be simply too much to invest and trust in them all. In fact, few of them will make it through the dip. It makes sense to care less about them, since your investment in many of these people or projects may not prove to be worth it in the long run. Instead, why not rely on something that's already trusted? This way of thinking is very common. The majority of people wait until others test and approve something. The majority wait for someone else to tell them that it works. The majority wait to see if the person or product will really go all the way. That takes time. And of course, effort too. Effort in finding the first people willing to try and vouch for whatever you offer. Effort improving that you, your service or product, are worth the investment. And effort and time until everyone has an opportunity to see that you are serious, that you are here for the long run. As you can see, there are quite a few elements that are required to overcome the dip. But there is also one more thing important to mention. The dip that you are facing is not always one worth overcoming. The option of quitting certain endeavors is important to consider too. There are many aspects that can help in deciding whether what you are pursuing is worth sticking to or quitting. I explore them in more detail in another video called Why Winners Quit All the Time. But to offer a few suggestions in this video, you can start out by asking yourself, if I stick to this endeavor and push through, will the rewards be great enough? And is this endeavor important enough for me to go through the uncomfortable and long lasting experience of being in the dip? In summary, almost anything that is worthwhile doing includes the dip. It's almost like the natural selection of today's modern world in weeding out those who are not ready to work or innovate enough in order to offer something new and worthwhile. But if you believe that what you've chosen to pursue is worth the effort, knowing that the dip is inevitable and understanding how it works can make all the difference. Possessing this knowledge, you will be much less prone to panicking and second guessing yourself, instead asking, is it a matter of more time, effort, or adaptation? If I'm willing to go all the way and stay comfortable in the face of uncomfort. One last thing, overcoming the dip on your own may be a challenging experience. It's always great to have someone qualified to help you out on your journey. This is where we can join forces. I recently finished the first stage of my interpersonal coaching training and I'm open to my first clients. As an interpersonal coach, I'm trained to offer powerful questions and insights, which lead the client towards greater self-awareness, discovery of solutions, change, and action. As coach, it's not my job to give you answers, but instead my role is to facilitate a process where you discover them on your own. As we all know, everyone is better at things they figured out themselves. If you're interested to learn more about taking a journey of coaching together with me, in the description and at the end of this video, you will find a link to my website where you can learn more about it and contact me. This was Rokas, and as always, I wish you to work hard, smart, and purposefully.