geekhut dot org

I am writing with my recent development accomplishments in mind, I never thought I would be able to do the things I can do now.

I will admit at one point I was very intimidated with the whole Ajax wave and it seemed that no matter what I did, after rolling out an Ajax-enabled app - I would always feel like I did something wrong or there was a major security vulnerability in my software… somewhere.

So I have compiled a list that I can relate my entire development learning experience to ( though this also applies to more than just computer related challenges )

Rule 1. Get Over Your Fear of Failure

You will fail, I guarantee it - no matter what, something will not go your way. Remember that no one is an expert at everything. I have found that “learning the hard way” means you will never forget your mistakes.

Rule 2. Someone Will ALWAYS Be Better Than You

Sorry, You may be good, but you are not the best and somehow someone will always outperform you.  Just remind yourself that competition is not why you are doing what you are doing, it is for YOU (unless you are sick & twisted).

Rule 3. You Will Want to Give Up

Do not, no matter what!  I have spent so much time thinking about how bad I suck at what I am trying to do instead of pushing that energy towards actually doing the work.  If I was to give up on what I was trying to accomplish I would be in a worse place than I was while actually attempting to learn it, at least during failure I was trying.

Rule 4. Know You Can Do It, But Understand That It Will Not Be Easy

Prep yourself for a major challenge, do not think you can pull it off in a day - you will be dissapointed.  Understand that nothing is ever complete and everything can be improved, that’s life.  Comfort yourself in the thought that you are capable, just remain focused.

Rule 5. Make Fun of Yourself

Embarrassments will be a plenty, however self depracating humor is one of the hugest marketing strategies to date.  Remeber when DreamHost goofed up and billed everyone for an entire year?  They owe their writers huge due to the fact that they were honest and still made us smile though we were just reamed by their billing department, very admirable.

In Conclusion

There is nothing new here, these ideas have been talked about forever however everyone needs some motivation every now and then.  These notes were written for my own reference for future challenges and I know they will be of use, hopefully you will find them useful as well.