Success

My vision on success has 3 measures: Freedom, Time and Happiness.

Freedom to choose your path.

The time to do the things you want to do.

And the happiness that comes from being with those you love, doing the things you like and being generous.

So, it's pretty simple after all I guess. 

Start soon

"I know you can do it!". This is the kind of expression that gets to me every time, but not in the nice way you're thinking. Turns out you think your doing what's needed to be done, you're pulling your weight (and some more) and suddenly someone asks you to do somebody else's job on top of it all. And it's days like this when you regret you didn't start sooner. 

"Why did I waste so much time?" is such a horrible ghost to deal with. But, instead of wondering how you got stuck here, how you ended up doing so much work for someone else, how you keep working for a boss that you don't trust or believe in, start looking for ways to get out of there. Start working on something you can call yours. Start looking for problems you can solve that make your life interesting. 

Of course I know I can do it. But it's gotta be worthwhile!

Don´t stop

I've literally hit a wall. I have a couple ideas of what I want to do, but don't think any of them is good enough. This is getting really tiring. 

Just when I think I have something worthwhile working on, doubt hits me hard and bends me to my knees. Makes me say "This idea is not worth it".

So you see, in an effort to overcome this feeling, I'm gonna keep on going. i don't care how much I feel defeated. I'm just gonna keep going as long, and as hard as it takes. I don't have a huge hunger to take on the world. I just want to change my world. That's what I find important.

I just have to remind myself of something I already know: I'm capable of doing whatever I set my mind to. So, gotta go........

Make your choice

What is it that you really want? You see, most of us really don't have that question sorted out and is something that no one teaches you in school. And it's something basic. Nobody can tell you what you want but then instead of helping, everybody starts telling you that whatever you think you want to do is wrong or won't work or won't last or won't make money out of it....you get the point.

No matter what anyone tells you, do something and make choices. It doesn't matter what you pick, just make sure you are the one making the choice because all consequences are also yours. Do you want someone else to pick for you?

Learn something, build something

I've had this issue with trying to build something for quite some time now. Doing research, reading, watching videos on YouTube. It's a hard thing to try and get the knowledge you think you need to create something new. But that's not the REALLY hard part.

If you're somewhat like me (and I would really like to know how many people has the same problems that I have) you have a hard time trying to put this knowledge into action. I tend to think about it like when I was a kid and I had a big idea for something that I wanted to draw and in my mind's eye it was really awesome! (robots, dragons, you know, the things a little nerd dreams about) But when I tried to put it in the paper it would never be even close to what I had in mind. That was frustrating and still is.

So writing this few lines is my attempt at that ugly drawing, because although I know it's not quite what I want it to look like, I've decided to give it a try and put it our for everyone to look and judge. I'm certain this is the only path to become good at something. 

Now you go and give it a try. With whatever it is your trying to do. Just draw something.

Where's the big idea?

Just recently I read a great piece by Paul Graham of Y Combinator about startups. It's a long piece (for those of us who have been affected by the attention deficit provoked by the Internet) but worth the read.

What stroke me the most, since I have been struggling myself to find an idea to work on, is that usually, when we want to create the next powerful new thing, we begin by looking in all the wrong places.

My first (and only) company was conceived out of an opportunity that came from the place where I was working at the time. The thing is I was trying to replicate someones else's business model, and needless to say, I failed miserably.

In a very basic sense, the first place to start should be in your own needs. What do you want? What would make your life easier? What troubles you and how can you fix it? This approach will give you something worth working on, instead of just looking for the next big social network or dating app.

There's definitely something that can improve your life that you can make.

The other source is solving someone else's problem. Taking something someone else is wishing for that you can provide or build.

Nothing guarantees success, that's the only thing certain, but you have to start building something if you want to succeed. So go look for your idea.

Working for 10,000

In the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, he explains what this term means:

"Outliers is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience"

Then, he applies the same term to people that seem ahead of its time, outstanding in their fields and with huge success. People who you might think are gifted or naturally talented. 

Truth is these outstanding people have (according to the theory in the book) one big advantage compared to everyone else: 10,000 hours of experience. If they are outstanding musicians, writers, entrepreneurs or dancers it's because they have 10,000 hours or more of experience in their fields.

The 10,000 hour number is, of course, an approximate number, but to me it only translates into one thing: hard, constant, persistent work.

If you want to be the best, work for your 10,000 hours.

One last piece of advice: find something that you love and then work in it for 10,000 hours. I'm sure no matter what you do, you're going to be one of the best.