Sometimes you write really good code (or posts), sometimes you write bad code (again posts) and sometimes you write really, really ugly code (yup, posts too).
The Good is amazing, you sit back in your chair and think – “I am a genius”. Remember that clip from Golden Eye where the Russian Hacker makes it all work? That’s how you feel.
The Bad is still a pretty decent feeling, because you still feel good (not great though) because you accomplished something – “It’s not pretty but it does work… but it needs a little polish… later”.
The Ugly is where you have presented your code and it works, it does the job, people are happy with it. But deep down you know it’s not your best work. And it’s not because you didn’t try – perhaps it was a really hard problem that took awhile to wrap your head around, perhaps you are so overloaded that getting it done is an accomplishment or perhaps you simply weren’t able to invest as much time as you needed to into it.
Whatever the reason, it’s ugly, you’d like to change it, but you can’t, it’s gone out the door, people are using it, you’re in the corner cringing – “how could they be using it” and would prefer if no one brings it up again.
But here’s what it is – you shipped, you delivered, you put something out there that you weren’t sure about but you were willing to take a risk to get there.
Was anyone else was willing to take that risk?
Was anyone else was willing to put that out there?
Did anyone else take on the hard problem?
All Nos – because you did.
So embrace the ugly, be proud of it, and instead of cringing in the corner, stand on a table and proclaim – “Damn right I wrote that, want some more”?
1 Comment
The ugly will get you notoriety for years to come. I still hear cases of that…the fact is as long as you are willing to put yourself out there, people will be there to punch you. If you are your own worst critic, there’s. o thing that anyone can say that will hurt more.