I keep going back to Kevin Kelly’s 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice as I find a new nugget with each read.
Today the following “bit” spoke to me most:
“To make something good, just do it. To make something great, just re-do it, re-do it, re-do it. The secret to making fine things is in remaking them.”
This week I’ve been repairing a few different pieces of audio gear and none of them have turned out as I hoped. It’s driving me nuts.
During these times I often feel the need to just give up. Sell everything off and do something else. Why should I think I can repair this piece of vintage gear?
Kevin’s advice is a a reminder that just because I tried once to repair something and it didn’t work, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try again. It’s the idea of the necessary “re-do” to make something great that I should be concerned with. Often times I find myself rushing through repairs to get it done and sold. It’s good enough. When I rush the repair and it doesn’t work is when I get frustrated and want to quit.
Instead, I should relax and stop expecting my first repair attempt to be the right one. I need to slow down and get it right…get it great…and that means I have to re-do it, re-do it again and then re-do it again according to Kevin’s advice.
This keeps me motivated to get back into the projects from this week that haven’t worked properly and try again.
Aaron Hartley 