Why I Know Nothing is Too Difficult
One of the things that has amazed me the most in the world of business is the dichotomy between those who seem to try to make things too difficult, and those who try to make them too easy. I think that the steps themselves to success in business are pretty basic, although some of them definitely take know-how, and we cannot ignore the fact that there are some external and intangible forces that must always be accounted for. It is times like these when I am reminded of something my sixth-grade teacher said in math class that has given me a lot of confidence whenever I think about it:
Every addition problem ultimately breaks down to nothing bigger than “what is nine plus nine?” There may be a lot of steps, but this is what it is at its most basic.
The more I thought about that, the more that I realized what a profound statement that really was. Of course, in a room full of 11- and 12-year-olds, we did not realize what he meant at the time, and some of the people who had difficulty with math really seemed offended by his statement. Then, he explained it by putting a math problem on the board, and his statement was right, because any two numbers that you added was a series of additions with basic elements that were no more than 9+9, no matter how big the number got.
What This Means for Business
I am not trying to see that the world of business is nothing more than adding single-digit numbers. However, at its core, there are several basic elements to any business. Look at blogs: some blogs can look pretty complicated, but once you get the hang of it, some of the plugins are extremely easy to operate and maintain. While there are definitely going to be times when there are things that we don’t understand yet, I think that we can definitely use the things that we do know and build each of them by breaking them down into smaller parts that are not so overwhelming.
How I Applied This Later
In high school, when I did track and cross-country, I had trouble in the beginning doing the run up Oakford Avenue, the steepest hill in town. Then, I was told something counterintuitive that was really surprising. I was told not to look at the top of the hill, because that would only make it seem farther away. The road was paved, so simply trust my navigation and focus on the next step. The very first time I did it, I was able to touch the steps at the top of the hill without resorting to walking once! This was another example of Nine Plus Nine Thinking (I just came up with that phrase. I don’t mind if you share, but please acknowledge that you got it from your old friend Steve 
) at work. After all, the elements of running are really simple, and it involved lots of smaller actions, but the end result was the same.
Even Easier Than School
Still, despite such advice, there are some people who are not as good in math at others. There are also going to be some people who are better at marketing and blogging than others. However, we don’t have to have the perfect blog in order to make our business work. All we really have to do is have the basic tools in place. Something else that I’ve noticed is that so many bloggers are more than happy to share the basics with others for free. With that in mind, I know that nothing is too difficult, and I know that in time I will reach my goals because everything that we need can be broken down to its most basic element where it can be understood.
Tags: life lessons, Nine Plus Nine Thinking, overcoming stress, simple parts
This entry was posted on Saturday, August 14th, 2010 at 10:04 am and is filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 14th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Steve,
“Nine Plus Nine Thinking” Sounds like something you can keep on developing there!
Thinking in terms of step-by-step progress without excessive comparing and seeking the help of others is most certainly a valuable process whether in blogging or in life.
Thanks for sharing!
Lee
.-= Lee Wise´s last blog ..7 Ideas For Personal and Business Self Growth =-.
August 14th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
Thank you for your reply, Lee! I have told others about this idea, but it wasn’t until I was writing this blog post that the phrase came into my head. It’s amazing how that there are things that you don’t even think of doing, but after you see it, it is so obvious.
I am glad to share, and as long as the ideas keep coming, I’ll keep posting them.
August 15th, 2010 at 2:02 am
Steve,
Love the “Nine Plus Nine Thinking” mindset.
I had an “Oakford Avenue” when I ran track
in school. For the life of me, I can’t think
of the name of it but the terrain remains
vivid in my mind.
Your post reminded me of the person who
feels that their success is being manifested
at a “snails pace”.
But…if…it…happened…quickly….they
…would…not…learn…how…to…cherish
….the….ride.
My advice, slow down, take baby steps
and enjoy the ride.
Thanks for sharing your post and your
school experiences. I always enjoy
school stories from the vantage point
of others.
Stay growing,
Kevin
Promethean Life
.-= Kevin Tyler Smith´s last blog ..How To Annihilate Irritating People Without An Ounce Of Bloodshed =-.
August 15th, 2010 at 5:10 am
Hey Steve,
thanks a ton for sharing your appreciated insights!
Yeah I can confirm that when you start with this business, it will probably become overwhelming for you. There´re so many possibilities on how to start what to do etc, that we just don´t know what we should focus on.
My tip is to focus on 2-3 things at first to win confidence and skills in this are and than jump into the next pool.
Don´t try to do to many things at first!
Have an amazing weekend,
Gerald
.-= Gerald Gigerl´s last blog ..How To Have A Bigger “Henry Ford” Like Vision Without Building Cars… =-.
August 15th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Thank you for your reply, Kevin! I think that there are many times when people get upset if success doesn’t happen right away and they consider themselves a failure. Well, the stories of people like Colonel Sanders, Harry S Truman, and Lewis Black always remind me that, if we keep trying, it’s never too late to succeed. I remember reading somewhere that someone asked Thomas Edison if he felt like a failure when his latest attempt at the light bulb didn’t work, and he said that he did not because he knew something else that didn’t work.
August 15th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Thank you for your reply, Gerald! I couldn’t agree with you more about the idea of building slowly. Yes, it might take time, but I would rather get good at something and then build than spend all of my time running around like a chicken with its head cut off and not get good at anything. I know that I’ve tried things that way, and it didn’t work, so I know to keep going and get good at things gradually.
August 16th, 2010 at 4:01 am
Hey Steve! What an Awesome Post! Your insights are definitely right on track! (LOVE your Nine Plus Nine Thinking, you will need to really create more from that!)… Sometimes looking too far ahead can discourage us but also take is from the present moment which is where we need to be to achieve those ultimate goals or dreams.
Step by step, inch by inch, mile by mile… we will make it up that hill and achieve ANYTHING we put our mind and heart’s intent on!
Great stuff!!!
.-= Jennifer May´s last blog ..Week Two Update On- Achieving More In Less Time – My “Achieve 3 Ultimate Goals” In 30 Days Challenge =-.
August 16th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Thank you for your reply, Jennifer! If I ever turn Nine Plus Nine Thinking into a book, you heard it here first
I know what you mean about thinking too far ahead. I still have a year before I can even start my dissertation, and there is a part of me that is so full of dread over the idea, in part because less than 1/3 who start it can finish it. However, I know that I can take it one semester at a time. If I pass both of my classes this semester and pass the German test, I can go to the next phase, and there it is only one semester until I take the test that clears me for my dissertation. Thinking of it that way makes it a lot easier.
October 30th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Steve the Owl's Blog » Blog Archive » The Birthday Mile says:[...] in under seven minutes, or even less than that depending on my time trials in between. Using Nine Plus Nine Thinking, I know that, for my ultimate goal of making it to 5:00, that means that I have to improve by [...]