What have you learnt recently?

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You never stop learning. New skills, new “truths” about life, new experiences. The list is endless.  Working for myself at DP Web Development this learning thing has gone into overdrive. It’s great! Thought I would list a very small sample.

And at the end a new quote that I try to live by nowadays. Enjoy.

Things I have learnt in the last few months:

No real order.

  • Improved my skills in JavaScript and JQuery. This has been very useful, especially JQuery. It saves a lot of time and is amazingly powerful. If you know JQuery you’re in good company. Apart from me such Goliaths as WordPress and Twitter use JQuery. Anyone using Twitter? Follow me @dougpitchers.
  • SEO. (Search engine optimisation) If you type in web development Kent in Google you get around 24 million results. DP Web Development comes in at about number 5. Front page! The (only) place to be. I have not paid a penny to get there. If you type in bespoke websites kent I am on the front page. Three times!
  • People are inherently lazy. People complain they have to learn something. They have to do this. They have to go out of their way having, to suffer, they complain about having to work at it, and complain that it doesn’t just come easily. WTF? You think you’re unique? Look at Usain Bolt…you think he got up one day and ran 100 metres faster than any human in history? No. He got up every single day for ten years and trained and trained and trained. When was the last time you (or I) did something EVERY SINGLE DAY for ten years? Get unlazy and get ahead.
  • People don’t buy your product, they buy you. Being the best web developer in the world is not enough. The ability to know, very quickly, what people want and how I can deliver exactly that is equally, if not more, important. I can do this.  People can see I am genuine, hardworking and honest. I dedicate myself to giving the very best. That is what people want. Personal attention. Before everything else. They want to know that I “get them”. I understand them. Contact me to find out more.
  • Enjoy the here and now. I used to constantly plan for the future. I still do. But I have also learnt that it is important to enjoy the present as well. I go for a walk almost every day with my wife and son. We enjoy the lakes nearby and the huge park 5 minutes down the road (Knole park…call me, I’ll show you around). We love this. It gives us time to talk, laugh and enjoy the outdoors. It may only be 30-40 minutes but it is worth taking time out to do what you enjoy. Every day if possible.

Lastly a quote that you may like. I love it. It is from the wonderful Ash Ambridge. (Damn she’s good at sound bites) I think it sums up quite a cool attitude to have.

“Life shouldn’t be a journey to the grave with  the  intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body,  but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the  other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, ‘WOO HOO  what a ride!’”

Right  on!