Amin Dost on Nostr: Some further musings on <li><em>So</em> much fear of failure. (Where on earth does ...

Some further musings on https://oldbytes.space/@fluidlogic/116728016460487643<li><em>So</em>; much fear of failure. (Where on earth does that come from?) What is working for me to overcome this is choosing low-stakes mini-projects and going in feeling prepared. It still takes resoluteness to push on through and not abandon the work. I tell myself that learning involves discomfort. That every mini-project is a chance to learn and grow. I don't manage to convince myself much of the time.</li><li>For electronic repair, having the right tools (not necessarily the best tools) is essential. For example, I needed a jeweller's pliers to unplug the corroded connector. That gave me a firm grip which allowed controlled and gentle extraction, which wasn't possible with fingernails. (I tried.)</li><li>I'm surprised at how much I've learned ambiently by watching autodidact electronic repair folks on video streaming platforms.</li><li>Relatedly, the people who are clear about what they don't know, and who are humble, are the best teachers.</li><li>You can never have too much light on the object of your attention.</li><li>Different levels of magnification help. I have a 3x magnifier with a ring light on an anglepoise arm, but this time I tried a pair of my partner's €2 reading glasses, despite being naturally shortsighted. They made a huge difference!</li><li>You don't need to know much, but (I think) to be successful you need to have an idea of what you don't know. I couldn't have been successful at this a year and a half ago when I first got this laptop, because I didn't know then that I needed to neutralise and remove the battery juice, or how to do that practically. Watching a YouTuber scrub enthusiastically at something extremely delicate as they talk through their approach does help instill confidence.</li><li>I need time to work at my own pace, which is veeeeery slooooowly. I don't have a project space for electronic repair, so the kitchen table becomes my workspace. This only worked today because we skipped dinner. (My partner was also engrossed in something and our housemate was out late.)</li><li>The job's not done. The LCD panel isn't displaying correctly, so I'll need to go in again. It's probably a connector not seated correctly, or I didn't let the connector dry and now I've fucked it permanently. By going in again, I risk breaking something else. The more success I have, the higher the stakes of subsequent failure feel. To gain perspective, I have to tell myself that this is one project of many on a long journey.</li><li>I'm glad that it's become socially acceptable to talk about interior struggles like this. Thank you for reading.</li>