The Learning of the Dip

The Learning of the Dip

By Leo Babauta

There’s so much to learn in the habit dip (and all other dips of motivation(ˌmōdəˈvāSH(ə)n) & focus):

How to face difficulty instead of avoiding it
How to encourage yourself when you feel discouraged
How to let go of the ideal you have that’s making you feel discouraged
How to deal with your difficult emotions of frustration, discouragement, fear
How to nourish(ˈnəriSH) yourself when you’re feeling depleted(dəˈplēt)
How to give yourself compassion when you feel you’re doing something wrong
How to not run for your usual methods of control, avoidance(əˈvoidəns), quitting when things are hard
How to practice letting go of your usual focus on your self-concern

This is just some of what’s there. There’s so much more. It’s incredibly rich, if you learn to open up to the dip.

The Dip is Temporary, if You Keep Going

Habit and motivation dips are always temporary. Everyone who has run a marathon(ˈmerəˌTHän) or ultramathon(ˈəltrəˌmerəˌTHän) knows what it’s like to want to quit, to get bored(bôrd) with training, to feel discouraged when things are hard. And so many of us who’ve faced that have finished the marathon!

We’ve all given up when things are discouraging. We’ve all avoided even thinking about getting back on track when we’ve been thrown off the track. We’ve all messed up on projects and goals and habits. We’re human!

But if we get back on track, if we encourage ourselves when things are dark, if we find compassion for ourselves when we’re not living up to our made-up ideals … there’s more available down the road.

Everything is temporary, even failure, even success, even getting off track. These are not the end points, they’re waypoints. Keep going.

https://zenhabits.net/dipped/