My two major careers in life -- music and technology -- started as hobbies. While they may seem different, they do both offer certain characteristic I think are important to understand. Here are some lessons I've taken from my experience with both.
* Mind your mother: No, really. My mother told me once when she realized how interested in computers I was that she knew exactly why I loved them so much. When I inquired as to why, she said: Because there's always an "out there" for you to explore.
Well, of course she was right. I was instantly fascinated by the endless frontier that computers presented, even in 1983. I knew we would all change and be amazed by the future we would create with these machines, and I am constantly in awe of the impact technology has on all of us. Today, I spend no fewer than five hours a day researching technology and still am amazed at its scope.
* Reach: When the great jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker would take a "ride" on his horn in his days in Kansas City, after every chorus the band would shout, "Reach, Reach." This was their way of inspiring him to keep going beyond what he had done before, and he had the ability to do this endlessly.
A great tech example of "Reach" can be found in the story of the return of the Apollo 13 astronauts after a disastrous and nearly fatal mission. The book "Lost Moon" illustrates this in great detail as does the movie "Apollo 13." It was the insistence of the crew and NASA engineers to continue reaching for a solution to each problem that came up that saved the lives of those men.
* Competence vs. self-esteem: Anyone who has ever used a computer or tried to learn to play an instrument figures out quickly that self-esteem can be an early victim in the process. Learning musical or computing skills takes an investment of time, patience and persistence. The process of being a beginner is humbling at best.
However, anyone who does persist in his or her efforts learns a valuable lesson: Self-esteem flows from a person who has a skill. It is a natural byproduct of successful hard work and persistence. In fact, it is a life-changing event when you truly know you are good at what you love to do.
* Fun is serious: Perhaps most importantly, having fun at what we do is the strongest motivator we have to do it. If you watch someone playing a complicated video game or working on a computer program or Web page, it might appear they are in pain at times. Odds are that their greatest joy is in pitting themselves against the problem at hand, whatever it is.
Most games present this paradox: Hard work equals fun. More and more today, tech companies are seeing this principle as a valuable guide in increasing productivity and output. In fact, the computer industry may have been the first to base its existence on having fun, since most early pioneers were hobbyists. Go figure.
E-mail Donnie Jenkins at donniejenkins@yahoo.com.