Comments on: For discussion: If you can’t do something well…

By: Sally Carson

Sally Carson — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 13:23:34 +0000

Apparently it doesn’t apply to managers.

By: Don

Don — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 06:57:19 +0000

Is it wrong to be the jack-of-all-trades an the master of none? I call it being a modern Renaissance man, but maybe that’s a euphemism.

By: Justin

Justin — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 01:34:31 +0000

it really begs the question:

“If practice makes perfect and no one is perfect, why practice?”

heh. but honestly, I suck at a lot of things. What I am good at, however, is failing and it will remain one of the things that I do time and time again. After all, I’m one of the best at it

By: Bryan Veloso

Bryan Veloso — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:00:42 +0000

I’ll submit to J on that last one. There are a lot of things that I have also given up after trying for a long time. Drawing being one of them. But I believe that if there’s a will to learn, that the trying should commence. Maybe seek other ways to help you learn, both in a certain task and in life.

I’ll second James in saying that I take things I can’t do as challenges, hence the whole PHP story.

By: jschin

jschin — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:52:59 +0000

Agreed…how many people can do somehting well the first time they try it? If we applied that saying to our lives, I don’t think much would ever get done…now, if you said “If you can’t do something well after prcticing for a long time, then don’t do it at all.”…maybe.

By: James Archer

James Archer — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:40:35 +0000

Yeah, I’m with Bryan on this one, too. If I can’t do something well yet, I take that as a challenge.

By: anon

anon — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:37:42 +0000

I would agree with Bryan. Unfortunately most peeps are willikng to settle for just getting by. Even worse, as MZ said, is when others are willing to settle for some scribble that you know is crap. So, if no one else is going to demand it of you, you’ve got to demand it of yourself. Wish I could follow my own advice there.

By: Tommy Chapin

Tommy Chapin — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:35:05 +0000

I agree with Bryan.

I propose this amendment:
“If you can’t do something well, don’t do it professionally.”

The world would be a better place if everyone actually honed their skills to perfection before claiming to be a master.

By: Bryan Veloso

Bryan Veloso — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:03:25 +0000

I would rather say:
“If you can’t do something well, then practice and perfect until you can.”

I used to believe in that saying, but then I couldn’t say that a month ago I couldn’t program in PHP for crap and now I’m making my own WordPress plugin.

By: MZ

MZ — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 22:41:02 +0000

It makes both business and life in general tougher since the rest of the world is satisfied by bein mediocre at basically everything.

Some can call me a perfectionist but that’s plain old envy since they don’t have the discipline to do something all the way.

The downside shows itself when you have 2 designs: one that clearly communicates the desired message, it’s innovative, clever and just plain perfect, and the other one done in 15 minutes because you had a quick idea but it doesn’t amount to much. The client chooses the second design because he likes “that funny color in the right corner.” You look at him and wish anarchy was in place for a few minutes.