March, 2017 - I.Am(theOperator);

Innovation, Breakthrough and Perseverance

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 Even in these modern times of automation, comforts and services, Survival does not seem to be becoming outdated any time soon, at least not in this lifetime.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.

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!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/business/the-elevator/12168170/business-innovation-versus-disruption.html

don’t talk about it; Just Do It!

You’ve heard it all before

But maybe not in this way. How many times have you looked back and said: “Hey, if I actually did this instead of thinking, discussing or even arguing about it, wouldn’t I already have done it or some part of it by now!?”. Don’t get me wrong! Thinking is Planning, Discussing is Feedback and Arguing is Syncing. Yet, I am referring to that moment after all those first passes have been completed and you find yourself still being technically meticulous.. talking about it; as if you are seeking some form of validation or approval.. again..

Waste of Energy

In simple terms, that right there, that repetition or loop, is simply waste of energy. All this energy along with the excitement and the force should now be poured into Doing. This will lead to testing the grounds and failing or encountering any issues early, which is better than late after all your resources have been exhausted, gaining that inevitable knowledge and experience and finally even pivoting. This will be far more beneficial. Use your resources wisely.

Stop trying “Convincing Others” happen

As I said, going through again and again the process of thinking, discussing and even arguing about what you are planning to do may become counterproductive instead of motivating. Some things glue instantly and naturally without much effort and with today’s technology and the interneT you can virtually query the world for people and resources who share and / or have faith in the same vision or essence; not just yet another template of work.

Know Thyself

If one has not set a vision or path in his or her life and has not prepared the appropriate foundation to realize that, it’s easy to be diverted by external forces because he or she is missing the fundamentals of remaining or getting back on track whenever a sandstorm strikes. To know yourself means to not let anything or anyone else decide for you who you are but discover and sculpt yourself to fulfill your purpose.. or dare I say.. destiny.

Source: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/563020390894426709/

Prove Yourself.. to Yourself

Instead of wasting energy in convincing others, or even yourself, you can simply utilize all that to prove yourself.. to yourself; a fundamental confidence boost as part of knowing yourself. Really. Think about it. We’ve heard one too many times the good old “I could be..” or “You could be..”. In reality what we are hearing or saying is “I am still not..” or “You are still not..”. We could all start thinking “I am..” cause it’s just a matter of time of making it happen.

Oh, you are still here? Still, thinking or arguing about it? Listen..

JUST DO IT!

The more you do it..

You’ve probably heard it before – I know I have.. and probably not in a software development context. Of-course, this is a very general rule which again applies to many aspects of life. Since by essence this is quite a broad notion, today I’m going to be composing more of a life coach post instead of software development. But it’s easy to project it to that context afterwards.

Getting Started

We constantly find ourselves being consumed by our daily lives and obligations that it becomes literally a battle against time to make ends meet. This of-course undermines insidiously the more spiritual aspect of life – motivation, creativity, inspiration, innovation, meditation, virtues. Surviving at all cost becomes the center of life and the spiritual part becomes a.. luxury. I won’t go into a rant post, so I’m just going to say it should be the other way around, having as center the more spiritual aspect of life, because that is the actual source of energy for the physical to manifest and function properly.

Beyond the drama, mamma, it’s not that we don’t really practice spirituality in our daily lives – we would probably go nuts if we didn’t – it’s just that the stagnant loop and system feeds itself and protests at and tries to squash any effort of non-conformity – and, sadly, this is contagious leading to further resistance by our circles and environment.

“Demetris, whatever does this have to do with ‘the more you do it’ thingy?”

Exactly – it’s all about mentality – a more spiritual aspect. The ground needs to be prepared first. It will take effort to break the loop, and you need to be prepared for it. You need to sacrifice that little time (from all unproductive and energy draining activities) once in a while to make that extra mile that gets you out of your false comfort zone and do whatever it is that you feel the need to do to fulfill your purpose or destiny – it’s there: you feel it, you know it. Oh, and by “once in a while” I certainly mean daily, because the gravity of the matter pulls you back to that.. (pause for dramatization).. fallen and static state.

So, now that we have.. aligned our thoughts, let’s get started!

Start Sloppy, End Professionally

“I’ll start tomorrow”

“Just after I finish this”

Oh, really? Goodbye.

I kid. I understand. It’s the system. I won’t repeat what I’ve already mentioned in the previous section. Instead, I’ll teach you how to fight. And this is how you do it: you press “Start”. Pressing that “Start” button means accepting the fact that right now you’ll make a little sacrifice to do what you have to do.

“It won’t be as good as it would be if I had the right time”

“I am tired from all the other stuff going on”

NO!

First of all, unless you press “Start” you are not going anywhere.

Period.

Now, “anything” is better than “nothing”. I am not fond off sloppy work, at all, especially if I have the option to have something done with perfection, but in comparison to “doing nothing”, “anything” is infinitely more. Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes it’s better to do nothing.. by letting a professional do it for you – the right professional, that is.

The shade..

On every effort, on every pass, you WILL get better because you’ll strengthen yourself. You’ll find it easier to re-start (resume), easier to perform, easier to continue and easier to repeat. This constant betterment will eventually result in nothing less than a professional.

Use Resistance as Validation

So, we’ve began our journey to finally.. doing it!

But, if you find yourself inexplicably procrastinating or feeling disheartened it means you may be onto something. If you find your circles or environment delaying you, or even worse, preventing you, again, you may be onto something.

So, instead of losing energy from all sorts of resistance, from internal to external, you may utilize it to your advantage and feed from it; use it as a form of validation. Your.. “gut feeling”.. will help you through to discriminate between what is just plain worrying, what is actually going wrong and what is actually going right. You want to be doing the right thing, the right way and dealing with any wrongs that come in your way.. the right way.

Way.

Getting Better

Doing something again and again is like in one word: training. Becoming better and good at something almost comes naturally, as if we are gradually programming ourselves. But it doesn’t end there. When we do something again and again, once we’ve achieved a skillful level, we start to process it to an even deeper level; even at the level of our subconscious, which is remarkable. We may start calculating new ways through which we can execute that something even better. And that may in fact be the point at which not only improvement occurs but actual breakthrough.

Positive Feedback

The process of starting, at first, may feel like a.. drag. And that is exactly why it is important to overcome this initial obstacle. Because once that is out of the way the process begins to feed it self. The first pass disciplines for a second pass and the second pass motivates for a third pass and the third pass inspires for a fourth pass and a fourth pass empowers for a firth pass and so on.. This positive feedback, or loop, multiplies our efforts’ effectiveness every time we perform and that improves not only quantity but also quality.

Living for It

Whatever it is that you’ve been putting aside for so long now becomes one of the core ingredients of your life. It keeps you active in the aspects you’ve been neglecting and that, not only paints the monochrome scenery but also, brings about a feeling of fulfillment.

And that’s not all – doing means going forward – not via time but via actions. Past is no longer determined by time but by our actions. You want for something to really belong in the past? Don’t wait for the future – build one. Doing means Healing. Healing means Life. Too soon? This is a whole new post to discuss. Maybe later..

And since we’ve talked about positive feedback and multiplying, life is based on actual multiplying. No, really. Living organisms multiply their cells for growth and regeneration.

Just Do It

There’s not much to say about this after everything that’s been said.

Oh, you are still here? Go get to WERK!

If you had the time to read up to this point, you’ve already made your first sacrifice. Thank you.

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