Tools Iteration Time
Three Things Assure The Success of Any Project
The grand challenges of life are viewed in lofty terms. We dream big. We set our sights high. We attempt to move mountains and race against the clock.
We live in a world where legends are built on grandiose talk. Silicon Valley is always trying to change the world. Even performers regularly declare themselves the Greatest Of All Time.
This is nothing new. History and even mythology are filled with the stories of those who dreamed big… and failed. From the flight of Icarus to the mad dreams of Hitler, history books are built on legendary fails.
Much to the contrary, history shows us that success is often built through much more humble means. Success is an exercise in preparation, practice, and patience.
The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.
Tools
To succeed in any endeavor you need to have tools. Tools create leverage. They allow us to borrow technologies created by others to assist us in our path. Tools enhance productivity. They drive efficiency and speed.
The right tools will likely not be available to you at the start. Your first tools will likely only take you so far. At each step along the journey, we need to assess whether the tools we have available will see us through the steps ahead. If not, we will need to develop new tools as we go.
Tools require maintenance. They must be cared for. Sharpen or cleaned, lubricated, updated, or whatever the need — a successful craftsman respects their tools as much as their art.
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
Iteration
Dream big, but long journeys are best taken in a series of steps. Even jet planes rarely fly directly from point A to point B. It is far easier to deal with smaller steps. They give us time to take in feedback, to develop our tool sets, and allow us to accumulate small wins while risking only minor defeats.
Iteration is a process of repeating small steps while moving toward a larger goal. It can also be a process of recognizing and perfecting small steps and small skills. Again, this builds efficiency. This drives our choice of tools and resources we pursue or commit.
It also builds confidence, while mitigating the risk of missteps. Iteration allows us to accumulate our successes. These can be used to encourage others to join or assist in our journey. And while epic goals often end in epic failures, small steps can be corrected. Missteps are easy to retrace, to learn from, or to simply ignore.
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
Time
Racing against the clock is invigorating, but races only last so long. If your life’s dream is one giant race, you are probably doomed to failure. Further still, why compete in a single race when you have the opportunity to compete (and win) repeatedly? Is a sprinter less of a champion than a marathoner?
Time can be a tremendous asset when we make it available to us. It provides us perspective. It allows for feedback and course correction. If we are accumulating wins, it creates a compound effect that will propel us toward loftier aims. We simply need the wisdom of patience.
We also need the will to marshal on. Time is kindest to those who are persistent. To succeed you must keep trying. For those who stay prepared, with tools at their disposal, and who recognize the value in smaller, iterative steps — time provides opportunities. Luck isn’t so random, it favors those who have the tools, iteration, and time to take advantage of it.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
Read more from Confucius here.
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For more information about the author see his profile on LinkedIN — George Earl