#Dip January 23

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Anyone that start a new habit is going to experience a DIP in motivation and performance. For many people that is the moment they quit.

I have given up on numerous goals and new habits when things got difficult. But it is the moments when I resumed trying despite how I felt that has provided me the greatest rewards. I have had to learn how to encourage myself when I didn’t meet expectations. I have learned that the encouragement I received from others or the pep talks I give to others can help us all get back on track. The DIP is going to take place and we all need to deal with it if we want to grow.

I listened to Leo Babauta on a Tim Ferris Podcast last week on my drive to the library at UNC Pembroke. Leo talked about the amazing transformation in his life by taking on one new habit at at time. He began by giving up smoking.

He talked about how he has come to realize that beginning a new habit usually starts with exhilaration but eventually we hit a DIP. When that DIP occurs we feel like quitting of giving up. How he dealt with it involved three parts. First you have to acknowledge at some point learning a new habit or tackling a 30 Day Challenge you are going to hit a DIP. The second part if you need to have a plan when it occurs. Finally the DIP is where the best learning takes place. If you can navigate that part of the learning you are going to have something that will stick.

Seth Godin has written a number of books. One of them I came across serendipitously while in the Livermore Library at UNC Pembroke just after listening to Leo Babauta on that podcast. The book title was “The Dip”. I checked the book out immediately. There were a few gems that this 80 page book gave me.

I often find myself merging concepts and lessons from different leaders, authors, and friends to help me grow. Listening to Leo Babauta and reading Seth Godin’s book on the same day resulted in idea fusion about the DIP. Here is what I can offer up.

1. We need to accept that starting a new habit is going to encounter a DIP.
2. Having a plan for how to deal with that DIP is important.
3. The plan should consider having an accountability partner-when we do something that is not self centered it becomes more powerful. 30 Day Challenges where you commit to others are more powerful in helping make a habit stick.
4. The DIP is where the real learning takes place. You will need strategies to deal with self doubt. You will need to understand what triggers make you feel inadequate, anxious, or stressful . There are techniques to deal with each one including meditation.

Here is a link to a post about the DIP from Leo Babauta.

Hope to see you on the other side of whatever DIP you face. You got this!