Doubtful Acts

Necessity may render a doubtful act innocent, but it cannot make it praiseworthy. - Joseph Joubert

Sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do - just don't brag about it once it's done.

Imponderable

“I know nothing about horses,” said the bald man watching two flying forms. “But I’ve just seen that one,” he pointed with his cigarette at the far off bay. “I’ve just seen him run the guts out of the other two. One after the other he has broken their hearts and left them staggering along behind him. We would call him an imponderable, one who cannot be judged by normal standards.” He puffed at his cigarette before going on. “There are men like that also, imponderable.” - Wilbur Smith, Gold

In any endeavor you always must choose to lead, follow or get out of the way.

Planning for Problems

One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. - Arnold Glasgow

Young folks always assume everything will go as planned. Older folks assume everything will go wrong. Failure, in both cases, is due to not anticipating problems before they happen.

Smooth Seas

Smooth seas do not make for a skillful sailor. - African Proverb



You hone your skills when the going is tough - don't waste your time complaining about tough times.

Tequila Trepidation

A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila. - Mitch Ratliffe

Just because it came out of a computer be wary - just like you would with a guy tanked up on tequila packing a handgun.

Beautiful Solutions

When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong. - Richard Buckminster Fuller

Seeing the beautiful solution is not the last step. Put the solution out on the market and see if others find it beautiful. If not, perhaps it was only in the eye of the beholder.

The Key to Success

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. - Bill Cosby

The concept of the long tail says you can succeed by merely pleasing some of the people some of the time - you just have to find them. It's all in the marketing.

Nothing is Perfect

It isn't that they can't see the solution. It's that they can't see the problem. - G. K. Chesterton

Whenever you hear "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." look to see if the problem is just being ignored.

Sequel Perfection

There's just about always a sequel, so don't worry about making the first one perfect. – Seth Godin



Unfortunately, often the sequel doesn't measure up to the original because the creator misjudges (or ignores) what made the first one great.

Perfect Course

Perfectionism is simply putting a limit on your future. When you have an idea of perfect in your mind, you open the door to constantly comparing what you have now with what you want. That type of self criticism is significantly deterring. - John Eliot

Going with the flow doesn't mean you give up charting your course.