When I read this, I was reminded of the recent book by David Gelernter, “The 10th Tech Eagle,” in which he talks about his journey of becoming a self-aware and independent person.
The book is fantastic, but I found it to be a bit of a downer. I’m not sure I can see myself ever being that independent. I’m sure I could probably get around some of the book’s ideas and experiences, but it doesn’t seem to be a life-changer.
The thing is, I feel the same way about the idea of independent thinking. Sure, I could write an article that explains how to set up my own company and become a billionaire, but I’m not going to try. I’m not going to try to do something I’m not capable of doing. So it doesn’t make sense to me. But it’s not like I’m going to stop trying, either.
I know for a fact that I’ve talked to several people (including my future brother-in-law) who share my independent thoughts and have been the very ones to push me to write more about them, so I just decided to put them in here with the hope that it’s worth it.
The title is all wrong. Im not talking about tech. I mean, yes, I know that I need to work on my tech skills, but I do not know if I am capable of creating a company of my own. I know I have the knowledge, the experience, and the ability to do it, and I am sure that anyone out there can do it. But I am not convinced that I am capable of doing it alone.
I have been asked by multiple people why I am not working on my tech skills. The answer that I have given them is, in part, very simple: I am not good at the things I am trying to do. I am not good at building a web site, or writing a book, or designing a software product, or designing a product, or writing software, or anything else technical.
The most common reason that I have been asked why I am not working on some of my more technical skills is because of the fear of failure. People often ask me what I want to do when I am old, or what I want to do when I’m in my mid-thirties. It’s not because I don’t have ideas. I just don’t have the time.
I do have ideas. But it takes a lot of time and energy to make them into products. I could probably go out there and do much more interesting things if I would have the time.
So what makes working on your ideas more interesting than making them into a product? Well, I think it comes down to the fact that you are putting yourself out there and doing something you wouldn’t normally. That is to say, you are giving yourself permission to fail, to fail big. You don’t have to be the best programmer, the best designer, or even the best entrepreneur.
If you are trying to create something new and different, you need to put yourself out there. You need to put yourself out there to get feedback from others and to make mistakes. You are also putting yourself out there to learn. If you have a plan that you know is good you should be able to see how it’s going to turn out. If you are just trying to make something cool, then you are probably not ready to take risks or try things out that you might not like.
