How do you perform when you know you’re supposed to fail?

Does it make you work harder, faster, longer? Or do you buckle under pressure?

You’re at a great risk of failure as a startup company, and learning to beat the odds is the number one thing you should come to terms with.

I won’t try and tell you how to beat the odds because honestly, I don’t know. I’m not sure anyone knows; every single situation is different. But I do know the motivation to do so is something that has to come from deep within you.

Knowing you’re expected to fail makes it easier if you actually do, but a hundred times more rewarding if you don’t. I’m not saying to be afraid of failure- lord knows we’re comfortable with quitting bad ideas when we know it’s time- but work your ass off up to that point.

Fight the odds, and if they win, buy them a beer.

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s, there are few.” – Shunryo Suzuki-Roshi

At first glance, you think “Yeah, that makes sense.” When you’re new at something, you try everything because you have tons of ideas. But you become more experienced; you learn the ropes and know what works. You’re seasoned… wise.

And if you think you’re right about the meaning of that phrase, think again. Keep Reading

Programming is a craft. At its simplest, it comes down to getting a computer to do what you want it to do (or what your user wants it to do). As a programmer, you are part listener, part advisor, part interpretor, and part dictator. You try to capture elusive requirements and find a way of expressing them so that a mere machine can do them justice. You try to document your work so that others can understand it, and you try to engineer your work so that others can build on it. What’s more, you try to do all this against the relentless ticking of a the project clock. You work small miracles every day. – Andrew Hunt and David Thomas

You know that list of projects you’ve been dying to work on? The ones that are lowest on your list of priorities, but have personal meaning to you? They’re also probably the ones you continually put off, saying “someday.”

In my opinion (and experience), if you have a personal project you’re working on, you’ll be more motivated, stimulated, and fulfilled in other areas of your life. How, then, do you decide when the time is right to jump in head first?

I think three key words say it all: just jump in. Keep Reading

I have a problem.

I need to learn more about “x” so I can write a solid article about “y.” There’s lots of info online about “x,” plus there’s this really interesting book sitting on my desk that I’m sure I could get a lot out of. The book is calling my name, and I really want to read it. But here’s my problem.

I know it’s weird, but it feels like I’m breaking the rules if I’m away from my computer much during normal work hours. Reading Boagworld, Bobulate, Kottke, or Daring Fireball in the middle of the afternoon feels fine- but the second I pick up a physical book, in my mind, I’m suddenly indulging a guilty pleasure. Keep Reading

You’re never ready till you’re ready.

Even then, you might not be ready. Decisions need to be made, though, and the world won’t wait for you to waffle indefinitely.

Scott Belsky tweeted something today I found really relevant to not only business, but to life in general.

“I find the cost of indecision is often greater than the consequence of any decision you might make. Prototype and iterate.” Keep Reading

There is a place, and this place is great. This place is as serene as they come. In this place, you’re focused, motivated, intuitive… you’re on one hell of a roll. You can’t be stopped. You think you won’t be able to get the ideas down before they flee your mind like they usually do, but no worries- in this place you’re in control. Nearly everything that comes from you during this time is pure genius. You’ll look at your work later and wonder what the hell happened, and be very, very satisfied.

It’s not easy to get here, though. This place is heavily guarded. Keep Reading

We’ve been thinking a lot about Page Description Diagrams lately, and how they might fit into a workflow which frequently interacts with clients. Simply put, we’re fascinated with website planning, and always interested in ways to make Jumpchart better. Keep Reading

If you’ve written, or are writing an article about Paprika, let us know and we’ll send you a $5 iTunes gift card for your effort and interest.

There are just a few terms:

• Any article written after June 22nd, 2010 is eligible.

• If you live somewhere where iTunes doesn’t exist, no worries- we’ll figure something else out.

• We try really hard to produce quality work, and we know you will, too.

• Please note! We’re not paying for good reviews… We’re paying for publicity. We pay all sorts of major blogs and ad networks for exposure. We love all the sites we advertise on, but we think this is a way to micro-advertise. Say something good, say something bad, just say something!

Thanks again everyone- tell us about your article at support@getpaprika.com!