The Business of Authority
Deciding To Be The Best In The World
Mon Jun 19 2023Description
The episode explores Seth Godin's book, The Dip, which discusses the concept of crossing the dip to achieve success. It emphasizes the importance of being the best in the world at your thing and quitting if you're not committed. The episode also delves into identifying worthwhile pursuits, overcoming challenges, navigating career transitions, building authority, and finding joy in work. It explores different paths to success, setting clear goals, understanding your work, and making career decisions. Key takeaways include focusing on becoming the best, recognizing the importance of passion and determination, and reading 'The Dip' and 'Quit' for further insights.
Insights
Becoming the Best
Being the best in the world at your thing is crucial for success. Specialization allows you to compete uniquely and command higher prices.
Identifying Worthwhile Pursuits
Pursuing something worth it is important for emotional connection, delivering transformations, building a business, and generating revenue.
Overcoming Challenges
Passion alone may not be enough to overcome challenges in the dip; one must focus on the audience and decide if it's worth it.
Navigating Career Transitions
Transitioning from one career path to another involves S curves and half pivots. Flexibility and ability to change quickly are advantages.
Building Authority
Building authority and writing a book are long-term processes with potential dips along the way. The size of what you're trying to achieve can impact your journey.
Finding Joy in Work
Focusing on one sport or specialty at a young age increases chances of success. Specializing in a specific demand allows you to become the best in the world at it.
Setting Clear Goals
Having a big and specific goal can change every decision you make about your business. Reflecting on defining experiences helps identify strengths and avoid repetition.
Understanding Your Work
Deep knowledge in a specific vertical makes you more valuable. Being aware of your feelings about your work is important and can guide your career decisions.
Key Takeaways
Decide what you want to be the best in the world at, recognize that success takes time, and read 'The Dip' and 'Quit' for more insights.
Chapters
- The Dip: Crossing to Achieve Success
- Identifying Worthwhile Pursuits and Overcoming Challenges
- Navigating Career Transitions and Building Authority
- Becoming the Best in the World and Finding Joy in Work
- Paths to Success: Joy Rides, Quests, and Lotteries
- Setting Clear Goals and Making Career Decisions
- Understanding Your Work and Making Career Decisions
- Key Takeaways and Further Reading
The Dip: Crossing to Achieve Success
00:00 - 07:02
- Seth Godin's book, The Dip, discusses the concept of crossing the dip to achieve success
- It is only worth going through the dip if you are focused on being the best in the world at your thing
- If you're not committed to being the best, it's better to quit and find something worthy of your effort
- Knowing your goal and what lies on the other side of the dip is important
- Being the best in the world means defining your own world and specializing within it
- Specialization allows you to compete in a unique way and command higher prices
- Finding something that is worth crossing the dip for involves emotional connection, delivering transformations, building a successful business, and generating revenue
Identifying Worthwhile Pursuits and Overcoming Challenges
06:43 - 13:20
- The speaker emphasizes that pursuing something worth it is important for emotional connection, delivering transformations, building a business, and generating revenue.
- Identifying when something is not right and quickly moving on from it is crucial.
- The speaker reflects on their own career path and how each phase had an eureka moment followed by excitement and milestones.
- Excitement fuels the passion to reach milestones, shift identity, and achieve profitability.
- Passion alone may not be enough to overcome the challenges in the dip; one must focus on the audience and decide if it's worth it.
- Every decision is a bet with no guarantee of success.
- Taking risks without worrying about failure is part of the excitement.
- The speaker shares their experience of leaving a successful consulting career to start their own business due to lack of control over their moves.
Becoming the Best in the World and Finding Joy in Work
19:41 - 26:15
- Being number one is vastly underrated in various industries.
- Top experts in a niche corner a significant portion of the market.
- Limited number of names people hear when seeking help with expensive problems.
- Focusing on one sport or specialty at a young age increases chances of success.
- Physical professions have shorter lifespans compared to specialties.
- Advantages of specialties include longer careers and joy in work.
- Some individuals transition from focusing on money to pursuing big ideas.
- Passion for work can lead to lifelong dedication and fulfillment.
- Different types of dips exist, including joy rides where fun is the main goal.
Paths to Success: Joy Rides, Quests, and Lotteries
25:50 - 32:26
- There are three types of paths: joy rides, quests, and lotteries.
- Joy rides are about having fun and not trying to be the best.
- Quests are glorious missions where you're determined to succeed.
- Lotteries have little control over the outcome and can lead to self-doubt.
- Finding a niche where you can excel without relying on luck is important.
- Specializing in a specific demand allows you to become the best in the world at it.
- The decision to be the best requires determination and willingness to overcome challenges.
- Being on a platform or podcast can be difficult but worth it for your mission.
- Excitement changes decisions and tactics in pursuit of your goal.
Setting Clear Goals and Making Career Decisions
32:09 - 38:59
- Having a big and specific goal can change every decision you make about your business.
- A clear and audacious goal can be emotionally moving and inspiring.
- It's important to reflect on why you do your job every day and if there is something bigger that you could focus on.
- Thinking about defining experiences in your career can help you identify where you excel and what you want to avoid.
- Many people enjoy the learning curve of a new thing, but after a certain point, it becomes repetitive and less exciting.
- Changes in career paths or pivoting every 10 years can bring new challenges and excitement.
- People who are excited about learning often become experts in their field, which makes them valuable from a business perspective.
Understanding Your Work and Making Career Decisions
38:39 - 45:16
- Deep knowledge in a specific vertical makes you more valuable from a business perspective.
- Being aware of your feelings about your work is important and can serve as a compass to guide you.
- Many people prioritize making money over considering how they feel about their work.
- It can take time to detect your actual feelings about how you want to spend your life.
- Experience helps you understand what you like and don't like, as well as the types of people you want to work with.
- Having unrealistic expectations about a career path can lead to disappointment.
- Consider what path you are on and what is on the other side to narrow your focus and find the next step.
- Asking yourself questions about what excites you and what you don't like will help guide your career decisions.
Key Takeaways and Further Reading
44:52 - 48:29
- Ask yourself what you want to be the best in the world at and focus on that
- Deciding not to be mediocre and giving yourself permission to act as if you're already the best
- Recognize that success is not an overnight achievement, but the result of years of hard work
- Read 'The Dip' by Seth Godin and 'Quit' by Annie Duke for more insights