The Struggle is Real, honey.
Earning a Living
Nobody can deny the daily need to make ends meet. Even in these modern times of automation, comforts and services, Survival does not seem to be becoming outdated any time soon, at least not in this lifetime. Money, being the current medium of exchange, becomes for this reason important – without it, you can’t really buy or sell; sounds familiar?
WORK, WERK, WERQ
To enable that stream of income we need to work; and by work I mean serving clients and providing solutions – not just successfully but also in good time. If a solution is not provided within a specific span of time then the pace of progress and cost of living catches us up and we are at a loss. Without certain profit we cannot grow; not really. We are just working.. to keep on working.
And now the question..
What about progress?
Research and Innovation
Let’s face it; if we all relied only on existing technologies and solutions there would be no progress.
Same old, same old.
Forget your iPhone, forget your computer, forget your car, forget your stove, forget your electricity, forget your toilet (paper), forget your shower, forget your house; hey, you know what (?), it’s cave time!
It’s funny how some people brag about using ready made stuff to create or provide their ideal solutions, and to be more specific in my science’s sect, plug-ins, libraries and/or frameworks, but when it comes to investing time and money to research, innovation and customization, resistance begins. Basically, those people are living off innovation while they do not support or even scorn at the innovators who need dedicated context and resources to experiment and actually do their job right.
The hypocrisy is borderline nauseating.
the Right Context and Resources
Research and Innovation need a dedicated context and resources – meaning time and money; Period. Yes, it is (sort of) a risk, but it’s not just for fun, although it can be really fun if you want to. It is for progress which can potentially lift off the entire way you work (see my definition of work above) or even live to new levels of simplicity, productivity, maintainability, success rate and delivery time.
Tip: I claimed that right context and resources by becoming a freelancer; and let me tell you:
It was all worth it.
Research and Innovation.. on the fly?
It’s a whole new subject to expand on which I will be talking about on another article. To explain where I stand, with it, in one short sentence..
Painful, Agonizing and Slow
Nobody likes that.. even in death.
A Day in the Library is Months in the Laboratory
Studying the right material can boost or even salvage our research and innovation process. Getting educated on historical experiences related to the modules of our research and innovation enable us to incorporate, adjust or even avoid techniques to assist the process as a whole.
Questioning that Wheel
Look, I am not saying reinventing the wheel is a good practice or not but still, it is only when you know how to build a wheel that you can really see things outside the box and seek improvement in seemingly complex things that inherently feel that they should be simpler. And that is just one example of a hunch.
More on Reinventing the Wheel at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinventing_the_wheel
Wheels? What about hovering..
Perseverance
Perseverance will keep you going when you start doubting that something is possible. Of-course, retrying is only good when you reevaluate the way you approach a problem or possible solution but it’s the gut feeling or hunch that won’t let you rest until you make it. Yet, don’t let every retrial go to waste. You can document it and try to make something valuable out of it..
Innovation is not an explosion; it is a Ladder.
Tip: Perseverance is one of the cornerstones of my upcoming the Operator Foundation framework.
Breakthrough
Once you are there, at the moment of breakthrough, all sacrifices will make sense and all the hard work will pay off. Those who supported you shall enjoy along the fruits of the process and those who did not.. guess what; they will want a piece of that pie too like good old hypocrites they are.
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me [..]’
Oh wait.. I did it again, didn’t I? Sounds familiar?
Hungry for more?
Here. Eat it!