Sometimes an idea just sounds crazy.

You think about something that might make the job easier or solve a problem, but there really isn't a need for it at the time. Or maybe you don't have the tools to make it. Maybe you don't have the money. Maybe you try it and it doesn't work.

So you move on.

That doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad idea.

I've got a kitchen counter full of failed attempts right now. Things I've printed, changed, printed again, changed again. Some worked a little better. Some didn't work at all.

But every one of them told me something.

There's a difference between failing and just doing the same thing over and over again. If you're going to try something, really try it. Don't half-ass it. Give the idea a fair chance. And if it doesn't work, figure out why.

Sometimes the answer is to try again.

Sometimes the answer is to try something completely different.

And sometimes the answer is to park it.

I've had an idea sitting around for about fifteen years. There wasn't much I could do with it back then. The need wasn't always there. The tools weren't there. Life moved on.

Then one day I found myself dealing with the same problem again.

Maybe it's time to try.

I think careers work like that too.

Sometimes an opportunity comes along and you're not financially able to take it. Sometimes they want you to take the lead and you're not confident enough. And sometimes everything finally lines up and you still don't feel ready.

I've looked back over my career and remembered times when I knew I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

Was that dangerous sometimes?

Yes.

Have I made the wrong decision?

You bet.

Those are usually the decisions I remember.

They're also the ones I learned from.

If somebody is always standing beside you giving you the answer, eventually you become pretty good at following somebody else's answers. At some point you have to learn how to find your own.

That doesn't mean you have to know everything.

You won't.

Know your weaknesses. Know your limits. Know when something isn't your decision to make.

And when you don't know, ask.

Call somebody you've worked with. Talk to a coworker. Reach out to somebody in your network that you trust. Tell them what's going on. Give them the scenario and listen to what they have to say.

Most of the time, advice is free.

But the decision is still yours.

You have to own it.

The same thing applies to people.

You don't know what the person working beside you goes home to every night. You don't know how they were raised, what they were taught, what their family values are, or what they're struggling with.

You can assume.

Or you can communicate.

Communication can overcome a lot of obstacles. Assumptions usually create more of them.

And not everybody is going to want to see you succeed.

That's their problem, not yours.

Keep doing what you're doing.

I've had some really good guys working on my crews. Guys I could depend on. Then they got better. They learned. They became foremen.

And I lost them.

Their growth didn't necessarily benefit me. I lost a good guy and had to figure out how to replace him.

That's okay.

Because when somebody is bettering themselves, clap your hands for them.

Maybe they're going to leave your crew.

Maybe they're going to take another job.

Maybe someday they're going to be doing something you never expected them to do.

Good.

Clap your hands for them.

I don't know if anybody is ever completely ready for everything that's coming next.

Maybe being ready isn't a feeling.

Maybe it's a decision.

And when you've made that decision, own it.

Work it.

Nothing comes easy. Everything takes time. Everything takes effort. Sometimes it's a team effort. Sometimes it's an individual effort. Sometimes you need somebody else's experience to help you see what you can't see yourself.

And sometimes an idea, an opportunity, or even a person just needs some time.

Even the sunshine eventually shines light in the shade.