Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
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Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
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Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
#2That reminds me of this amazing talk called Why Greatness Cannot be Planned:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXQPL9GooyI
TLDV: Innovation is not driven by narrowly focused heroic effort. We'd be wiser and the outcomes would be better if instead we whole-heartedly embraced serendipitous discovery and playful creativity. We can potentially achieve more by following a non-objective yet still principled path, after throwing off the shackles of objectives, metrics, and mandated outcomes.
This also matches my experience 100%. All my best discoveries are accidental.
Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
#3That reminds me of this amazing talk called Why Greatness Cannot be Planned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXQPL9GooyI TLDV: Innovation is not driven by narrowly focused heroic effort. We'd be wiser and the outcomes would be better if instead we whole-heartedly embraced serendipitous discovery and playful creativity. We can potentially achieve more by following a non-objective yet still principled path, after throw…
+1. As a writer, literally all of my best work is completely unplanned. On hindsight there was preparation, background, context, etc, but still.
Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
#4This reminds me of a bit from "The Dilbert Future" (1997):
> Most people won't admit how they got their current jobs unless you push them up against a built-in wall unit and punch them in the stomach until they spill their drink and start yelling, "I'LL NEVER INVITE YOU TO ONE OF MY PARTIES AGAIN, YOU DRUNKEN FOOL!"
> I think the reason these annoying people won't tell me how they got their jobs is because they are embarrassed to admit luck was involved.
> I can't blame them. Typically the pre-luck part of their careers involved doing something enormously pathetic. Take me, for example. I'm a successful cartoonist and author because I'm a complete failure at being an employee of the local phone company.
Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
#5>>Paul : It is actually a trick for interviews. If someone asks you a boring question, just answer the interesting one they might have asked, and nobody complains.That's classic...
An example of how to actually live "your" own life in this world...not paying a great deal of attention to uninteresting things that others bring up; rather molding those same things so that they become interesting, and illuminate parts of your life and the lives of others...
In my estimation, my life is what it is--one I'm very happy with--because of my having just that attitude...
And, yes, I totally agree:
>>Paul : When I was a kid at Christmas, the Sears Catalog was your reference work.<<
Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
#6That reminds me of this amazing talk called Why Greatness Cannot be Planned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXQPL9GooyI TLDV: Innovation is not driven by narrowly focused heroic effort. We'd be wiser and the outcomes would be better if instead we whole-heartedly embraced serendipitous discovery and playful creativity. We can potentially achieve more by following a non-objective yet still principled path, after throw…
+1. As a writer, literally all of my best work is completely unplanned. On hindsight there was preparation, background, context, etc, but still.
Congrats on being a Quora Top Writer!
I agree...the best ideas "come in on little cat feet"...
Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
#7That reminds me of this amazing talk called Why Greatness Cannot be Planned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXQPL9GooyI TLDV: Innovation is not driven by narrowly focused heroic effort. We'd be wiser and the outcomes would be better if instead we whole-heartedly embraced serendipitous discovery and playful creativity. We can potentially achieve more by following a non-objective yet still principled path, after throw…
+1. As a writer, literally all of my best work is completely unplanned. On hindsight there was preparation, background, context, etc, but still.
I've heard this sentiment expressed for the creation of music and art as well.
Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
+1. As a writer, literally all of my best work is completely unplanned. On hindsight there was preparation, background, context, etc, but still.
I've heard this sentiment expressed for the creation of music and art as well.
I'm a composer as well as a software developer. There is no way in hell I could plan an interesting piece of music. You really just have to wait for it to come, however importantly it does mean you have to be ready to listen: i.e. put yourself in environments and states of mind that are most receptive and be extremely well-honed on your craft on a technical level so you can execute well.
Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
#9"Plus, then, I had given this talk about the Harvard Computer Society, and I said, “If you want to raise money, raise money from people who made the money doing startups. And then, they can give you advice, too.” And I suddenly noticed, they were all looking at me. And I had this horrifying vision of them all e-mailing me their business plans. Which is funny, because that’s what YC turned into."
That gave me chills.
The entire startup experience, the essence of being an entrpepreneur for me is in that moment when your brain subconsciously processes all the data around a problem and throws out something obvious and audacious in the same breath. And before you can conciously object BAM you have said it outloud and the adventure begins.
Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident
#10That reminds me of this amazing talk called Why Greatness Cannot be Planned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXQPL9GooyI TLDV: Innovation is not driven by narrowly focused heroic effort. We'd be wiser and the outcomes would be better if instead we whole-heartedly embraced serendipitous discovery and playful creativity. We can potentially achieve more by following a non-objective yet still principled path, after throw…
Dude, this is an awesome talk!
Kinda reminds me a lot about Edward DeBono: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFFZ0XSfCRw
He was, in turn, recommended by Alan Kay for learning and creativity: http://www.squeakland.org/resources/books/readingList.jsp )
Now going to order "Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned".