I really wish I had a talent to give good advise all the time. It's hard to be comforting and understanding all the time. I admire psychologists who can listen and give humbly advise constantly.
My friend Brooke had her show this weekend and she was not happy about how it turned out, so much that she was beating herself up. I just wish I would have been able to give her better advise and make her feel better about herself and her show. It really was a funny show, yes some of the comedians were not team players, but that wasn't her fault. They are professionals and they should act like it.
My positive for this blog entry is the admiration I have for people who are give unconditional advise to folks in need. The people that people go to when they need to talk and know they will feel better about themselves afterwards. I wish I had that ability and I'm grateful for those kind of people that exist. Maybe one day I will have all the correct answers, I will strive to be that attentive and understanding.
Showing posts with label understanding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label understanding. Show all posts
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Deep Understanding
It's one thing to know generally how to do something. But it makes a huge difference when you start to get a deep understanding for what's going on behind the scenes, how the process really works.
As an example, I've been doing web design projects on the side, learning as I go. I've been using CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, more and more, as CSS is now the preferred method for page layout and design. And I've learned how to use it well enough, but on a surface level. I knew which tags I needed to accomplish certain things, but I didn't have a complete understanding of how and why CSS and HTML together were doing what they were doing.
So I started reading about the mechanics below the surface; Why the these mark-up languages were designed the way they were. Their strengths and weaknesses. Ways to integrate the two more fully. I'm slowly developing a much deeper understanding of the process. Not just the how, but also the why. It's making a real difference already. Suddenly thorny little needling "bugs", where my code doesn't perform the way I think it should reveal themselves for what they really are. Not errors in code, but holes in understanding. Code left incomplete because a lack of understanding regarding what was happening below deck.
When you learn a new skill, regardless of what it is, try and go as deep as you can. It's not enough to know just the how, the basic skills. Knowing the why can help quickly get you out of jams, because applications can differ slightly from situation to situation. When elements change in a given system, knowing just the basics will get you stuck. But knowing deeply what's going on allows you to alter your methods without having to relearn new basics. You become more nimble. More effective.
So go deep, ya'll. Go deep.
As an example, I've been doing web design projects on the side, learning as I go. I've been using CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, more and more, as CSS is now the preferred method for page layout and design. And I've learned how to use it well enough, but on a surface level. I knew which tags I needed to accomplish certain things, but I didn't have a complete understanding of how and why CSS and HTML together were doing what they were doing.
So I started reading about the mechanics below the surface; Why the these mark-up languages were designed the way they were. Their strengths and weaknesses. Ways to integrate the two more fully. I'm slowly developing a much deeper understanding of the process. Not just the how, but also the why. It's making a real difference already. Suddenly thorny little needling "bugs", where my code doesn't perform the way I think it should reveal themselves for what they really are. Not errors in code, but holes in understanding. Code left incomplete because a lack of understanding regarding what was happening below deck.
When you learn a new skill, regardless of what it is, try and go as deep as you can. It's not enough to know just the how, the basic skills. Knowing the why can help quickly get you out of jams, because applications can differ slightly from situation to situation. When elements change in a given system, knowing just the basics will get you stuck. But knowing deeply what's going on allows you to alter your methods without having to relearn new basics. You become more nimble. More effective.
So go deep, ya'll. Go deep.
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