You know that feeling when you are in the groove, and the code just flows?  You might be listening to music (Pink Floyd or Ahmad Jamal is my code music) or sitting in complete silence. You might code to Slayer blasting in your ears or flourish in the hum drum of the office din. Whatever your thing is, we can all agree that there is no better place than that place…. your comfort coding zone.

“Everyone in this country should learn how to program a computer… because it teaches you how to think” ~ Steve Jobs

I can remember wanting to do something incredible with my life. I can still remember that feeling I felt when I wrote my first batch program on my old 286. That was back in 1989 and since then I have been hooked. I must also admit that the ability to create with code is immensely empowering. I am creating something out of nothing at all. Creating code to simplify people’s lives makes it all worth it.

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning” ~ Bill Gates

The software developer also has days when everything goes wrong, when customers are irate and aggressive and the deadlines seem insurmountable. Sure, we all have days like that and at that time you (and me included) might feel like “Why am I doing this to myself?” or “Why do I have to put up with this?”. But in all honesty, looking back at these days, there has been no better training ground for me personally.

In the end, you need to bring yourself back to why you fell in love with code in the first place. Find your normal zone. For me it is writing articles on my blog and trying out new things with code. Things that I want to do, and not things I have to do.  You need to find yours, and focus on that often. As an end to this post, do yourself a favour and watch the video below. Then think back of why you fell in love with code in the first place.

Have a great Weekend!