Top Barriers Limiting You From Your Dream Job is an article that is making its way around the blogs. It’s a good reminder that it is very easy to make excuses for not accomplishing anything. Lack of time, fear of change, obligations, and the fear of being wrong are among the 10 items listed.
I really wish that I had learned years ago that “I didn’t have enough time” is not a valid excuse. Today I know that a lack of time isn’t really a lack. Every day has 24 hours. Every day is the same. If I didn’t have time to do something specific, the problem is more about my lack of committment and action plan than about the lack of a 25th hour. I didn’t really do a lot of game development these past two weeks. Is it because time went by quicker? No, it is because I let other things take up the time I would normally dedicate to development. Playing Wizardry 8, for instance. B-)
On another note, the human imagination is amazing. As children, we used the imagination to play games or pretend to be something bigger than we are. We’re super heroes! We’re firefighters! We’re saving the princess! Making the world a better and safer place!
As adults, most people use their imagination to worry. It’s always used to worry about the negative consequences. Imagination is rarely used to explore opportunities. I think that the fear of being wrong is just another symptom of the problems of “acting your age”.
Today, there are so many paths to success. Allowing any of these 10 barriers to prevent you from being great would be a tragedy.