Maintaining Faith: Build It and They Will Come

About a year ago we were remodeling our office, and we planted a small garden, which I can see from my office window. We also planted a climbing plant with bright, red flowers. It took some time for the plants to grow and the garden to take shape, and then yesterday, our first hummingbird came to visit. It was drawn to the red flowers and stayed for a few minutes as it fluttered around the flowers and the rest of the garden. It took one year, but there it was – our first hummingbird visitor. What a vision it was.

Like our garden, building a successful product takes time and patience. It involves planning, work, and effort. Often something goes wrong along the way, and the original plans must be adjusted. However, if your product is built right for your client, they will come. More often than not, it will work out as you envisioned.

Planning and Iterations

When you are creating a new product, making the best version of your vision takes some planning as well as trial and error. Take the steps required to make your product the right one. When planning your product, do the research, and try to get as much information as you possibly can. Then design it to respond to a need you have found.

Don’t be afraid to experiment: the design you have chosen may not be the best or most effective one. That’s why it’s important to explore and perform trials. Depending on your industry, make as many versions of your product as you can. Iterate to find and design the best possible product with the tools you have available.

Faith and Optimism

As you build your product, sometimes there is no evidence that the outcome will be the one you expected. Occasionally, the result will take longer than expected. Put your heart into it, nevertheless. When you are starting to lose faith, it helps to revisit the original vision. Keep it in mind – you can draw it or keep a picture of the final product close by.

Not everything is in our control. Even when we do everything right, something can disrupt the process, and the outcome as you visualized may not be realized. This can be difficult, but it is a part of any creative endeavor. To mitigate the chances of something going wrong, observe and listen for any signs of alert. As soon as you know something is not right, act so you can avoid failure.

Keep going and working on your plan. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of perseverance and keeping your faith in what you are creating. Once you build the product that your clients want, they will love it. Just like the hummingbird outside my window, if you find a way to solve a problem or a need, they will come.