Tunnels And Their Lights

Hi there! Thanks for coming to another edition of Cowboy Computer Repair Weekly. Or maybe I’d call it that, if this included more than a single blog post every Thursday. Perhaps this would grow some time from now, maybe I’ll even be paying someone to keep these entries going! Until then, I’d like to touch on the best laid plans and when to stick with them.

Maybe you’ve been thinking of starting your own project recently, perhaps you’ve had one at the back of your mind for years now but decided against it for one reason or another. I myself would call those reasons “excuses“ but then again I have my fair share of those on the backburner as well. Either way, what would be the worst thing to happen should you actually try executing on your ideas? You find out you’re completely inept at the activity in question? You get embarrassed by someone far better than you? There’s a simple answer to either of those questions.

Yes.

And it WILL hurt, especially if you have an ego and try to defend yourself against the person who witnessed your failure, i.e. yourself. But here’s another question, will you survive? Would you simply cease to exist if you suffer one embarrassment? How about ten? One hundred? I already know that you will you survive, but the only thing that matters is if you believe it. To show this, I will give an example of a recent embarrassment I suffered, one of the very worst kinds I can imagine no less.

I received a call from a repair business in a similar vein to mine (Though my phone refused to ring and only texted me I had a missed call minutes later, meaning I had to start off by returning their call. Already off to a great start negotiation wise.) They were looking to expand their business into my area and were wondering if I was able to carry out jobs from their clients near me. I immediately understood that their tasks would require the use of a soldering iron, and I am unfortunately not allowed to use one myself as the insurance for doing so is prohibitively expensive for my current income. That was all they needed to hear, as they thanked me for returning the call and ended the discussion right there.

The most painful part about that situation is that opportunity would have came to me if I started my business one week before that call or ten years just the same. What would have changed the outcome of that opportunity however was if I did in fact start my business years earlier than I did, allowing me time to grow my skills and tools to an acceptable level for that partnership. Seeing this however doesn’t daunt me, in fact quite the opposite. All this means is I have to keep growing my abilities and tools in order to not let the next chance slip by. Because after all, Lady Luck has no time for those who aren’t prepared.

Thanks for reading and I hope you learned something from my own lesson in life.