Michael Koby's Blog

Ship It

Over the last year, I've made a post to this blog every weekday. This post brings it to a full year of doing that. When I started this blog, it was to help coienside with my book, Ship It. That book has taken a little longer to edit than I had initially planned so it still hastn' been "officially" released. You can still buy the mostly unedited version though and you'll get free access to newer revisions.

Mild digression though.

The point was to write about taking your ideas and shipping them. I wanted to help people get over the fear of taking an idea, building it out, and releasing it to the world at large. I wanted to help you understand that it may not work the first, second, or hundrendth time you try. You needed to know that even if it doesn't work you'll be better for having tried. The point more or less was to get you to simply shut up and ship it.

Between the book and these posts, I believe that I've said as much as I can right now on this subject. I assume there will always be more to say in the future, but for the moment I don't feel I can say too much more without repeating myself in a negative fashion. So, it is with this post I bring this blog to an end.

Remember, people will tell you it's a bad idea. Don't listen to these people. Your own brain will tell you it can't be done. Don't listen to it. Write your ideas down, capture them, flesh them out, work on them, and eventually ship them. Even if they're somewhat incomplete, ship it. You can make it better as you learn from your customers. The only thing holding you back is you.

Stop worrying.

Ship it!

Find a Way

In a world where all kinds of information are at our finger tips (literally), the old excuses of "I don't know how" just don't cut it any more. Sure, you may not know how right now, but there is nothing stopping you from figuring out how.

You may not know the way yet, but realistically you're just a few short web searches away from finding a way. Or at the very least, the start of a way.

You may fly blind for a bit as you try to figure things out. The more you ty though, the more likely you are to find a way to get it done. You will definitely find a lot of "wrong ways" before you find a "right way" so don't give up. Just keep at it.

You can find a way, if you try. Stop making excuses. You're a just a Google search from finding a way.

You Can and You Should

The biggest fear almost all of us hide behind is the fear of "what if I can't do it."

This thought keeps us in hiding. It makes sure that we never try, but more importantly it makes sure that we never fail. I've explained how failure is a part of learning new things before. Almost to the point where you're probably sick of reading about it. But it doesn't change the fact that I'm right. That fear of "I can't" will keep you finding out that you can forever if you let it.

You can do whatever it is you think you can't do. Not only can you do it. You should. You're probably the only thing really holding you back. Get over yourself and you'll show can't what can looks like.

Break Out

The only way to get better is to break out of your comfort zone. The comfort zone feels nice but it's a dangerous place that lulls us into a false sense of security. Sure, we like it in the comfort zone, but too much time in this zone can result in stagnation. Too much stagnating leads to thoughts of "that'll never work" and "I don't like it because it's different." Both of these are dangerous.

If you're holding back because you're worried about leaving your comfort zone, there is no time like the present to take that chance. Sure, it could not go well. But you have to crawl before you can walk, and you have to know how to walk before you can run.

Stop putting off that final leap. Close your eyes and jump!

Commitment

Everyone has a dream. Occasionaly, some of us realize our dream. Some of us start to move towards our dream and then we stop. Why? Because of the commitment.

To achieve your goals and (eventuall) your dreams you have to remain committed to them. You can't do something about your goals or dreams for two or three days a month and expect to get somewhere. You have to remain committed every single day.

Every. Single. Day.

Sure, we'll stumble. We'll not get as much done one day. We may miss a day entirely. But constant commitment is the only way we'll achieve our dreams.

Don't let one bad day destroy your momentum. Start where you left off the next day. Turn the bad day into as much of a good one as you can. Don't give up on your goals, stay committed, achieve them.

 

Saying No

A few years ago, I became the "king of 'no'" because I said "no" a lot. I said it a lot because it needed to be heard. At the time I had a manager who was trying to get me to do busy work that would take time away from the work I needed to do on a project. They eventually stopped asking about the busy work and let me do my "real" work.

This concept stuck with me though. Saying "no" because you have something real to work on is okay but I've also found that it works in other areas of life. Don't want to do something? Just say "no." You don't have to be rude about it, but it is a viable response. It works best when you're discussing features to add to a product. Saying "no" can help keep the product lean and clean. The "no" doesn't mean "never" it just means that you'll need to come up with a more valid reason than "I want it" and that's hard for people to get.

"No" doesn't mean "never" and it never will. What "no" means is that it's not going in right now, under that line of reasoning. Come up with a legitimate reason, and the "no" could become a "yes" and we'll all be better off.

Learning to say "no" is a hard lesson. It's usually born out of taking on too much and burning out or from simply being tired of putting up with unbridaled stupidity. Either way, learning to say "no" is a lesson many of us can benefit from.

Putting it All on the Table

When you ship, you're putting it all out on the table. You're taking a chance that someone's going to like what you have to offer. You bare a little bit of yourself in what you ship. It doesn't matter if it's software code, a book, a painting, or a photograph. It's your art, and each time you release some of it you're showing a part of who you are.

When it's all out on the table, it's hard to hide. But it can be freeing as well.

Once it's out there, it's done. The baring of that piece of your soul is done. It's out there. For better or for worse. To accolades or rejection. It's done.

What are you putting on the table for us to see? What do you have to show us?

You Decide

Shipping is all about deciding. You decide to put in the work. You make thousands of tiny decisions about the what and how. You decide to ship your idea.

Without decisions nothing happens. Things just stagnate. You decide each day to put a little effort in.

It's you who decides to do this. No one else can decide it for you. Even if you're an employee where someone decides what gets shipped, you still decide to put in the work to ship it. Again, no one can decide that for you.

You can even decide not to ship. That too is a valid decision. But while valid, it's not the one you want to make. Shippers are doers. They decide to get things done. What will you decide?

Try It

No one ever got good at something without trying it first.

No one.

Ever.

One must try something, do it incorrectly (or poorly), muddle through a learning curve, and evetually (hopefully) become good at it.

But none of that other stuff happens unless you try it.

Fake It At the Start

When we start a new hobby, project, or task we often have an end goal in mind. We usually have seen something that inspired us to take the steps to do something. Take photography as an example. Chances are you started doing photography because you saw a photograph that inspired you and made you want to take pictures. You probably have a photograph that you want every photo you take to measure up to.

When we start out it's natural to immitate someone else as we stumble to find our own way. You don't start out with you're own "voice" you're generally doing a cheap knock off of someone else's until things click and you truly do find your own.

At the beginning, everyone's faking it. Everyone starts out immitating. Don't feel like a fake simply because you're trying to immitate. You're putting in the work, the hours, the time. That's not faking it. That's doing it.