I’ve spoken about this topic before, probably at length, so if you are bored please venture into another of my self-deluded ramblings of grandeur.
Anyway.
Last night I was struck again with how much our dreams can differ from reality. Except this time the lesson hit he over the head with far greater clarity.
One of the best skills in development (learned & innate) is to be able to dream with reality.
Corny I know. But true.
1. You cannot build a dream without reality.
How many times have I launched into a project that in my mind looks so awesome, and then a few days later it drops away into the recesses of memory? More than I remember.
It’s so important when considering what we do that reality plays a healthy part. No doubt I’m preaching to the converted, as I think it’s probably something that’s learnt very early on in the piece. Although I guess if you work in a massive development team, then perhaps it’s something that isn’t an issue. Not sure. Depends on your role I would imagine.
You cannot build an accounting system knowing nothing about accounting. Been there, massively failed that.
Having an idea for a book/tv show/movie/comic, having real characters in your mind, a story that you think is pretty awesome, with a massive twist at the end, doesn’t mean squat. Been there many times. Have a bunch of single-page word documents to prove it.
Thinking I can still (mentioned this one before for sure) play for the Wallabies (or at least the Waratahs), dreaming of the tackles, the ball runs, the rapturous applause of the crowd and the accolades of team-mates .. doesn’t measure up to the reality of an un-skilled broken body.
I think you get my drift.
But wait, there’s more. Actually, no .. there is hope. Great hope.
2. Reality is half the journey.
As important as reality is, you still need to dream. It’s the balance. Even if it’s someone else in the team doing the dreaming, that’s okay.
I’m a dreamer. For sure. But I believe I can get to the stage where my understanding of reality is as alive as my dreams. It’s getting there. I’m more aware of the pitfalls of launching into new projects. I work with a bunch of devs that have a lot of experience with the reality of dreaming.
So don’t stop dreaming. I’m not going to. But I’m striving every day to better my vision (super-power). My clarity and understanding.
Which leads to the third, I guess conclusion point.
3. Dreams aren’t really going to dry up.
I have to be prepared to let dreams go. That’s just the reality of the situation. It might be putting them on the shelf, or just completely canning it.
And you know what? It don’t matter. There’s plenty of stuff gurgling away in my brain all the time. Ideas come and go, it’s the character behind, the breeding ground, that allows them to form .. not the objects in and of themselves. At least, that’s what i reckon. It’s not that you’ll never have another good idea again, because you shouldn’t be thinking that thought in the first place.
It’s like when one of my ideas gets shot down by someone else. Of course, I feel like I’ve been hit with a 2by4 with nails in it (ha ha), but after the momentary pain, I laugh. It’s good. It makes my next dream/idea a little better, thinking about how to form it in a way that answers the critical skills others have, and I am growing.
Anyway. Getting long-winded.
You know what I’m talking bout.
Cheers,