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I would disagree with that. This doesn't apply just to vacation itineraries but more so to projects you are either thinking of starting yourself or are being in
by chime 17y ago
I would disagree with that. This doesn't apply just to vacation itineraries but more so to projects you are either thinking of starting yourself or are being invited to join. This being Hacker News, many of us here get ample opportunities to join software projects that seem interesting. From open-source utilities to apps built on the latest frameworks, we have more than enough ways to keep us busy if we so choose. Many of the founders working on their primary startups have second or third pet ideas that they always want to work on but can never find the time to. That is what this "hell yeah!" is about.
From personal experience, I can say that in 2007 and 2008, I got into the habit of saying "ok yes" to every project that came across my way. A couple of those projects got me ample fame (Wired.com front page, TC, newspaper articles) and some even got me pretty good income. However, having too many things that needed to be done at the same time left me feeling unaccomplished, unhealthy, and frankly miserable, despite the fact that I was building some pretty neat things.
I decided to change things earlier this year and now I've stopped working on any side projects other than my main job. As side projects, I've started training for ultramarathons. It has absolutely nothing to do with computers but I find it a lot more satisfying personally than "yet another website idea." When I asked myself if I want to run one hundred miles in 36 hours non-stop, I immediately said "HELL YEAH!" So I started training.
A few months into the training, I got a bit jealous of all these startups getting funding and fame, so I thought about working on a startup again. I had a few ideas, some old and some new but none of them screamed "HELL YEAH!" Nevertheless, I bought a domain or two, built a logo/theme, and thought if I just crossed over the initial hurdle of disinterest, I'd find the excitement to continue. It never happened. I still think that one of my ideas is solid and it could work quite well. However, it just doesn't scream "HELL YEAH!" to me right now so for the moment, it is on the sidelines.
On the other hand, I'm getting more and more excited by the day because my 100-mile race ( http://chir.ag/20090621 http://chir.ag/20090621 ) is coming up soon - Sept 5-6. It has been exciting throughout the duration, though I felt miserable, overworked, and weak many times. The take-home lesson for me is that the passion doesn't dwindle though the motivation, strength, and energy might waver frequently. Once the passion is gone, so is the project. "HELL YEAH!" is passion and if you don't have that for something, don't dive head-first into it at the risk of rest of your life.
- moe 17y agoYeah, nice motivational speech. It bores me. It bores me like the 50 near identical articles that hit HN before it. "Hell yeah" is completely great when it happens. But most projects, even the "Hell yeah"-projects take much longer than that feeling can possibly last. Everybody who has built a startup knows that it inevitably becomes very tedious at a point. A few months into the gruntwork the "Hell yeah" turns more into a "God damn". In my opinion the "God damn"-part is much more relevant than the "Hell yeah"-part. Many people start "Hell yeah"-projects. Few survive through the "God damn"-phase.
- chime 17y agoI don't think you read the last paragraph I wrote. I said it clearly that even on projects that I am passionate about, there is a lot of miserable grunt-work, just like any startup. I think we just have different meanings for what "hell yeah" here means.
- tmikew 17y agoMissing the point. Every "Hell yeah" project does not turn out to be easy or even fun. In fact I agree that finishing any project is usually tough, some aspect of it sucks. Why are so many things left unfinished? Doesn't matter what the project is pick one. Where I work there is unlimited demand for time and features and projects compared to finite time available to work on them. The most successful folks have learned the skill of figuring out what to say no too. In the face of unlimited demand, one might as well only choose the "Hell yeah" stuff. Life is better that way. It took me a long time to figure that out. If all of the stuff one said "Hell yeah" to was easy life would be boring. Running a 100 miles doesn't sound to easy to me. If one does survive the hard phase on a "Hell yeah" project that is what the best things life are made of. Might as well try out as many "Hell yeah" things as possible. I am pretty sure my wife wasn't saying "Hell yeah" when my 3 children were being born. But I could have missed something...