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Course Correction
The thing about mistakes is recognizing them before you go too far afield.
Cost Of Implementation
Back when I worked in IT, there was an axiom that it costs:
- $1 to fix an error in concept
- $10 to fix an error in design
- $100 to fix an error in coding
- $1,000 to fix an error in unit testing
- $10,000 to fix an error in acceptance testing
- $100,000 to fix an error in the field
It may not be specifically accurate in every case, but the fact is that the longer you go without a correction the more of a hassle it is to go back and fix it.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that sometimes when you know you’re going the wrong direction, your subconscious throws a lot of speed bumps in the way. When you’re scratching your head and wondering why something that ought to be so simple is nearly impossible, it’s probably because you know deep down that it’s not the right thing to do.
Not that it’s not morally wrong or not perfectly correct for someone else, just that it’s not what you’re meant to do.
That’s where I’m at right now.
There are a lot of invisible barriers and my instinct is telling me that it’s because I’m going in the wrong direction.
Ninth Rule
The 9th Rule of Acquisition clearly states, “Opportunity plus instinct equals profit.” ~Nog
The clip above is from a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode titled The House of Quark.
The basic situation is that Quark gets into a bit of an argument with a drunk Klingon who winds up falling on his own dagger. Somebody pretending to be the Klingon’s brother says that it would dishonor his house if Quark didn’t claim to have killed him in single combat. What Quark didn’t know was that by claiming to have killed the guy in this way, he became the de facto head of a great house among the Klingons. Needless to say, a Ferengi has no idea of how to be the head of a great house and is quickly over his head and in mortal danger.
The important thing is that Quark knows that he’s out of his element and that the best way out of trouble is to be who he is. Rather than trusting fate to someone else’s rules, he relies on his own strength. He knows what the right thing to do is and he does it. By delving into financial minutiae, he proves that his adversary has been behaving dishonorably and is not worthy of overtaking the great house he finds himself in charge of.
Get Back On Track
Unfortunately, some of our poor choices are irreversible, but many are not. Often, we can change course and get back on the right track. ~James E. Faust
I had a plan.
I didn’t stick to it.
I’ve gone a little bit off course.
I was frustrated because I couldn’t understand why I was not getting where I was intending to go.
I recognized that I’m off course.
I’m correcting my course and getting back to the plan.
Fortunately, I didn’t go too terribly far off course. I caught the error quickly and am adjusting accordingly.