Mike Benner: Always Be...

Always Be...

Aug 1 by Michael Benner

Over the last few days I have read my fair share of articles and blogs that pertain to motivation and "doers"...

The most pointed one was from Jeff Atwood about moving to the realm of pundit from programmer, but he referenced Glengarry Glen Ross and I watched the video. ABC, Always Be Closing...Very fitting for a sales rep. Reminds me of the also famous scenes from Wall Street and Boiler Room. I even thought of the scene in Antitrust where Tim Robbins speaks to the developers (makes me want to code every time).

There was also a reference to Always Be Shipping for us developers, but I wonder if the saying should just read "ALWAYS BE...". I say that as I don't think we really have one thing to do that quantifies us. We need to ship on time yes. But what about quality? What about maintenance? What about choosing the right technology? What about seeing trends? Yes, I realize that is not just programming, but many of us are also entrepreneurs and run our own business.

If I was forced to add something to Always Be, it would be PRODUCTIVE. That is something that should apply through out life, whether work or home. And so that is my challenge to you today, be PRODUCTIVE. Start a new project that has been on your mind. Learn a new technology. FINISH the project that has stagnated.

ALWAYS BE...