

Ask HN: What keeps you going? - 3dFlatLander

I suppose everyone goes through times when it's near impossible to get anything done. Many of you on HN have reached success, or are working your asses off to get there.<p>What do you all tell yourselves that keeps you motivated? What thoughts drive you? Do you have heroes whose footsteps you're following? Maybe it's something else that pushes you, but whatever it may be, please share.
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zkarcher
Maybe it's time to dabble in something new?

I've developed many interests over the years -- programming, game design,
interactive development, music theory, soundtracks, cooking, martial arts,
hiking, circuit bending ... I may not have mastered any of these, but my mind
feels limber. I've stopped feeling guilty about putting down a project, and
revisiting it later. That's how I get around mental blocks and ruts. It's
always nice to revisit something with a clear head; old roadblocks tend to
sort themselves out.

Also, your interests can be combined in clever ways. I just finished a new
iPhone app, which combines many of the aforementioned. (Shameless plug: Twang
is an expressive handheld guitar: <http://tinyurl.com/twangapp>).

To me, this is success -- not making scads of money (necessarily), but rather
having a job I love, and the freedom to pursue new interests.

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pierrefar
Fundamentally what's keeping me going is that I see a big market opportunity.

But on a day-to-day basis, when I really hit a brick wall, I take a break.

I have a "small items to-do list". It's a list of things that individually
would take a short amount of time (say 5min - 3hrs) that I'd like to do "some
day". I do one. Or two. Or 10. This clears my mind and also makes me feel
productive. Also, it's a good break so that when I do get back to the big
thing I'm chasing, I come back with a clear mind and fresh eyes so that I
figure out a way around the brick wall.

Exercise, cooking, watching TV, and other activities also help. Just do what
you feel like doing to re-group and re-energize, and then get back at it.

