things i've changed my mind on
beliefs i held strongly and then let go. trying to update faster.
"more hours = more output"
before: grinding longer meant caring more. if you weren't exhausted, you weren't trying. now: sleep, rest and stepping away are inputs, not rewards. my best work happens in 4 focused hours, not 12 scattered ones.
"the best code is clever code"
before: elegance meant compression. one-liners were beautiful. abstractions showed sophistication. now: boring code is beautiful. the goal is for someone else (or future me) to understand it instantly. clever is expensive.
"you need a cs degree to be a real engineer"
before: imposter syndrome from coming from aeronautics. felt like i was faking it. now: the degree teaches structure, not ability. the best engineers i know have every background imaginable. what matters is how you think and how fast you learn.
"networking is fake"
before: thought building relationships for career reasons was inauthentic. just do good work and people will notice. now: relationships are how anything meaningful happens. it's not networking if you're genuinely curious about people. good work matters, but in silence it dies.
"move fast and break things"
before: speed above all. fix it later. ship now. now: move fast but know what you're breaking. some things shouldn't break. speed without intention is just chaos with branding.
"strong opinions, strongly held"
before: conviction was identity. changing your mind was weakness. now: strong opinions, loosely held. the point is to find truth, not to be right. updating quickly is a flex, not a failure.
"passion is everything"
before: if you're not obsessed, you're doing the wrong thing. follow your passion. now: passion follows mastery. get good at something useful, find meaning in the craft and passion often shows up. waiting for passion is a trap.
"success is making it"
before: there's a finish line. get the job, hit the number, then you're done. now: there's no arrival. just different games with different stakes. peace comes from the process, not the outcome.
this list will keep growing. that's the point.