I'm just back from my ACRE-Las Vegas show.
I tanked.
There, I said it. It's painful, but true. I did not do well at all. In fact, I wrote two orders.
I couldn't even get people into my booth. Granted, it was a first-year show and there were not many buyers at the show to begin with.
But I'm scared.
I spent a sleepless night the day before I flew home. It was either cry or figure it out.
I chose to figure it out.
I woke up every hour or so, filling my notebook with thoughts and ideas and insights. I think I have a plan, and some perspective. I think I know what I have to do. It's not bad stuff. It's just a lot of work. A LOT of work.
But it sure feels like total failure.
Friends have rallied to cheer me on, and I know that, tempting as it is right now, I'm not really serious about my threats to throw in the towel and get a "real job."
But it sure feels awful.
Til I read an article today by author Seth Godin about his new book, "PUSHING THROUGH THE DIP: How to Become the Best in the World".
In essence, Godin says it's easy to be "the best in the world" at anything you try. The hard part is getting there.
Because in between the starting point and the mastery of whatever you undertake is the dreaded "dip".
The part where everything gets hard.
It is, says, Godin, the "...long stretch between beginner's luck and real accomplishment."
The Dip is what sorts out the wannabe from the real thing. It's actually necessary. If there weren't a Dip, we would be awash in "the best" of everything, and therefore, "the best" wouldn't be very special.
In fact, it's such a valuable step, he says that the only chance we've got to be the best at what we do is to EMBRACE the Dip. "Realize that it's actually your best ally", he says. "The harder it is to get through, the better your chance of being the only one to get through it."
Gosh, I hope that's true. Because this is getting SO HARD, by definition I'm going to be GREAT someday--if I survive.
So that's why I haven't written for almost two weeks.
I know my work is good. Now I just have to convince the world.
Actually, I don't even need the entire world's good opinion. Just the few people in a thousand who will love it so much they HAVE to have it in their lives.
