Fixing Bugs
by Brad Bollenbach, October 1, 2008

Mad at Computer

A common recipe for personal growth is to start with what you have, identify what sucks about it, and try to make it suck less. Software developers call this “fixing bugs.”

“Fixing bugs” may seem like a natural metaphor for personal development, but in most cases this is actually an extremely limited, even harmful, perspective. When you focus on fixing what’s broken, the standard by which you measure your progress is whatever you started with. If what you started with was crap, then the standard by which you judge your results is crap.

If your software currently crashes 20 times a day, making it crash only 15 times a day is “good”, only 12 times a day is “better”, and a mere 10 crashes a day would be “excellent.”

You might even get a raise.

This way of thinking is its own worst enemy. Patching a bad situation often still leaves you in a bad situation. Even worse, you might get the impression you’re doing something useful. Sure, 10 crashes a day is a lot better than 20 crashes a day. Perhaps you even used your Employee of the Month bonus to upgrade to the 500 channel cable package that Bob and Alice have been raving about.

But it’s still a profoundly shit way to live. Fixing a bug doesn’t necessarily fix anything. You may think you’ve uncovered a solution, when all you’ve really done is found a rut and made it deeper–a little more like a grave.

Death by a Thousand Service Packs

If it’s been three years since your last promotion–if you’ve spent almost every day for as long as you can remember arguing with your girlfriend about absolutely nothing–if you’ve swallowed up the last six months going on about how hopeless you are with women, yet you’ve approached only a dozen girls in that time, then reality has a message for you: The data has spoken. There is no bandage large enough to cover this wound. There is no way to alter this cause to produce the desired effect.

You cannot fix what was built on this foundation. You have to replace the foundation entirely.

The day after my cousin died several weeks ago, I quit my job. I’d been working on a contract for the last several months, but it just wasn’t me. It couldn’t be me. And no amount of tweaking, tuning, or patchwork could fix that.

It’s always a little terrifying to shake things up, but there is no better way to live. Until last Thursday, I was scratching someone else’s itch. Now I’m scratching my own.

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Comments
NewWorldOrder on October 1st, 2008 at 7:35 pm #

Welcome back!

Your argument is consistent with the strengths finder 2.0 book and the put your strengths to work book. There’s an opportunity cost associated with working on weaknesses versus strengths.

Isaac on October 2nd, 2008 at 6:01 pm #

WOO! That about sums it up.

ZAN on October 4th, 2008 at 3:06 pm #

wow…i never thought i would see something like this.

I already know my foundation is absolutely shit, but i figured that with enough patches, i could make it passable. Like putting a patch over my terrible interpersonal communication skills, or a patch over my self esteem, stuff like that.

It SEEMS to be working for me, actually, but i sense that the limit to how well it will work soon approaches.

BB on October 6th, 2008 at 8:31 am #

Brad—takes balls. Recently took a similar approach. I already met a hot girl younger than me who adores me. Looking for a new job (great timing!) and feel the best is all about to happen.

Good luck.

BB

Seven on October 9th, 2008 at 6:39 am #

your posts are inspiring and thought provoking.

PooMaster on October 13th, 2008 at 8:29 pm #

I agree I have stopped trying to patch things myself especially alcohol. Just replace and fix. I was just drinking when my wife had the kids no good smoke cigarettes only when the kids were sleeping no good so quit them both and focus my time on other things like getting a career I like. Good luck to all

quickredfox on October 30th, 2008 at 3:44 pm #

I dunno, I’m having a little problem with this one… maybe It’s my understanding that’s wrong but I definitely wouldn’t call this statement valid as a universal truth:

“When you focus on fixing what’s broken, the standard by which you measure your progress is whatever you started with. If what you started with was crap, then the standard by which you judge your results is crap.”

I mean, in opposition: My Dad never fixed what he had that was broken. He became homogenized with his bugs because they had become “features” in his own mind. As he grew and kept on ignoring these ill-acquired ‘features’ or even worse, began seeing them as irreparable. He became more and more of a deception to those who would see the bugs clearly for what they were and more and more of a deception to himslef.

I do not mean to bring down my dad by this, he was a great man. But could he have become greater had he focused on fixing the damned bugs once and for all? I believe so.

I dunno Brad, maybe we’re saying the same thing and — like I said — its my understanding that’s wrong but in the case of my dad: having started with crap, had he focused on fixing what was broken, he would have stopped judging himself based on that crap and moved on.

p.s.: Lets grab a beer sometime :)

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