Post Info // super fun stuff.
Give Incompetance a Shot..
I am just getting familiar with two names in the technology field that perhaps some of you are already familiar with.
One guy is Guy Kawasaki. I recently listened to him give a speech on “The Art of the Start” which was great and really helpful even for a church planter like me. (You can watch it here). Anyways, he’s kind of become famous for his role at Apple early in his career working with Steve Jobs and turning down an interview for CEO of Yahoo! when it just started out. Whoops.
The other guy is Seth Godin, who I am not quite as familiar with. But, its clear from what I have read so far that he’s been really successful in the technology world.
Anyways, Guy did an interview on his blog with Seth and in the midst of it Seth stated the following:
I argue that competence is the enemy. People who are competent are afraid to fail, afraid to experiment. They like being competent and defend it.
I’ve worked hard all my life to become incompetent but motivated at just about everything. Sure, there are plenty of areas where I’m completely afraid to change the routine—protecting my left shoulder, for example, or taking up drinking—but in general, if there’s a chance to get worse at something, I’m willing to give it a shot.
This is a really interesting thought to me. I think so many of us are so afraid of what people will say bout us that and be labeled in competent so we never take any risks. What a tragedy in the church. What would our lives and communities look like if we ever said “if there’s a chance to get worse at something, I’m willing to give it a shot.”
Take some risks. Forget about being called “competent.” Makes me realize that those who are “successful” are the ones who don’t worry about that stuff and just go out and get try and make things happen….
gabrielle said...
108/8/06 7:22 PM | Comment Link |
This is how I approach my art. I know that whatever it will be, it will never stop being something I made, so whether it is pleasing to the eye or not, it’s mine. Some of my best paintings came from an idea that got screwed up and I just made the best of it. Just my experience though.
Todd said...
208/8/06 7:46 PM | Comment Link |
that’s a great way to approach art gabby. i bet piccaco didn’t worry too much about competance..
gabrielle said...
308/9/06 7:44 AM | Comment Link |
Here is the thing that I’ve learned. Van Gough, my favorite. He died poor and lonely, with no success. That didn’t stop him from creating painting after painting. He was actually one of the fastest painters, for the years he painted he created a ridiculous amount of art. All of his heart and emotion and money (mostly his bro’s money) went into his art. Whether he was a failure or not, he still wanted to paint. What about our faith in God? Can it be our art? Techniqueically we are gonna fail at it till we become perfect in heaven, so why worry about incomptence in our faith when its already there? I don’t know where I’m going with this but it’s making sense in my head.
Bob said...
408/9/06 5:42 PM | Comment Link |
I like this thought…I find that I limit myself to being competent more often than I’d like, avoiding risks. Sometimes that means I’m relying on myself and not trusting God to lead and guide me. This has given me a lot to think about. Thanks.
I also loved the Guy Kawasaki video. A lot to chew on there as well. I really loved his bit about having a mantra, not a mission statement. Our congregation has been working on this, and I think the church has a lot to learn from his ideas.