I've spent the last four weeks painting our house here in Austin, Texas. Since it is summer and hovers around 100 degrees during the day, I spend a few hours in the relative cool of the mornings doing my painting. The rest of my day is spent on esoteric programming and marketing tasks. Painting is a nice change with direct results you can see immediately.
I like it, and I re-learned a few things about business along the way.,
A lot of a painter's work gets done on top of a ladder. The ladder (and where it sits) is very important to getting the job done.
In software, the underlying technology platform is just as important. We have been developing CRM software on Microsoft .NET and SQL database technology for almost 10 years. While a long ways from perfect, Microsoft .NET provides a ready-for-business platform that has evolved and matured. No regrets.
I am afraid of heights. That is okay for a software jockey, not so much for a painter. But I found that while painting, it is often that last extra step up the ladder that extends your reach or changes the view and makes all the difference. The temptation to NOT take that extra step up the ladder is great and the reasons come easily.
Take the extra step. We strive to do it every day, and it is what separates good from great.