Seth Godin's Post Today

This post from Seth Godin reminds of the guy at the NSCA Convention - What my favorite lower trap exercise was? Does it matter? Hopefully this will make those of you that are still hung up on tools and exercises think!

I need to build a house, what kind of hammer should I buy?

I want to write a novel. What word processor do you recommend?

Yesterday on the radio, Jimmy Wales was talking about the Wikipedia movement. A caller who identified himself as a strategist at Amnesty International asked: We're going to build a website to promote freedom and democracy and human rights. What software should we use?

Really.

If you want to do something worth doing, you'll need two things: passion and architecture. The tools will take care of themselves. (Knowledge of tools matters, of course, but it pales in comparison to the other two.)

Sure, picking the wrong tools will really cripple your launch. Picking the wrong software (or the wrong hammer) is a hassle. But nothing great gets built just because you have the right tools.

My approach is to make an assertion about tools early in the process, and then move on to a solid draft of the good stuff. "Given: that we can make a computer do what xyz.com makes it do. Or, given: we can make a piece of titanium do what Frank Gehry makes it do." Then, go design something, imagine it, spec it, flesh it out and fall in love with it. Now you can ask Jimmy Wales what sort of software to use.

I want to write a novel. What word processor do you recommend?

Yesterday on the radio, Jimmy Wales was talking about the Wikipedia movement. A caller who identified himself as a strategist at Amnesty International asked: We're going to build a website to promote freedom and democracy and human rights. What software should we use?

Really.

If you want to do something worth doing, you'll need two things: passion and architecture. The tools will take care of themselves. (Knowledge of tools matters, of course, but it pales in comparison to the other two.)

Sure, picking the wrong tools will really cripple your launch. Picking the wrong software (or the wrong hammer) is a hassle. But nothing great gets built just because you have the right tools.

My approach is to make an assertion about tools early in the process, and then move on to a solid draft of the good stuff. "Given: that we can make a computer do what xyz.com makes it do. Or, given: we can make a piece of titanium do what Frank Gehry makes it do." Then, go design something, imagine it, spec it, flesh it out and fall in love with it. Now you can ask Jimmy Wales what sort of software to use.

Comments

[Jonathan Hewitt]

Is it really that simple? It is and it isn't. I know in rehab one exercise may not produce the desired result? Of course I agonize why but really it's as easy as try something different. If it works great if it doesn't try something differfent. All of this, of course, is in the context of protecting the individual from further harm or re-injury given their current state. Where i've gotten better is letting the person's body tell me what it needs and not try to figure it out before hand.

I ask the body if it can do this is that and it tells me. Then I go my tool box and get the most appropriate tool for that task.

I wouldn't use a saw to hammer a nail.

Vern,
Good post.

[St patrick]

Does it not depend on ones own skill set and ability