I always like when someone suggests, "I won't be able to do it".

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The other day I was in the middle of something and overheard someone say, "He won't be able to finish it tonight" — I was so energized by it!

And here comes the context...

I have acquired some property and building anything permanent is a few years off; in the meantime I want to set up a "Glamping" site so we can enjoy the call of nature in relative comfort, as well as have many of the amenities that make up modern life.

Glamping /ˈglæmpɪŋ/ :

noun: a form of camping in which participants enjoy physical comforts associated with more luxurious types of holiday.  Word Origin — blend of glamorous + camping.

This will involve a large festival tent, queen sized bed, a wood stove, bathroom facilities (including a shower with hot water), an outdoor kitchen and sitting area, as well as available solar power. The only thing that will be lacking is running water  — I suppose I will have to rough it.

As with everything you have to start at the beginning, and in this case the beginning is a platform for the festival tent to rest on. In this particular case the whole thing is meant to be semi- permanent, so the plan is to make the platform out of nine 6' by 6' sections, bolt them together, and put decking on top... this offers the option of dismantling the platform to move at a later date — It was a conscious decision to compromise some stability for portability. I needed 54 (2" x 4" x 6') pieces of pressure treated wood, a bunch of wood screws, a chop saw, and a drill to build what would make up the frame of the 324 square foot platform. Each section would consist of two 2" x 4" x 6' pieces and four 2" x 4" x 69" pieces (3" cut off a 6' piece).

The assembly process started at about six o'clock on a Friday night.

As you can appreciate the first couple of sections took time to assemble as we worked out optimizing the process; overall it wasn't a difficult activity but rather repetitive and definitely tedious. As my helpers began to fade into the background and as talk of having dinner started, I overheard someone utter the words, "He won't be able to finish it tonight". Ultimately, after a quick dinner, I found myself alone in the garage finishing the remaining sections. By ten o'clock all nine sections were complete, the person who suggested that I wouldn't be able to finish all the sections was long gone, and I was now ahead of schedule; attaching the nine sections the next day would be a relaxing activity.

Was any of this difficult? Not really, but it was an exercise in advanced planning, having the right tools, and the desire to get it done. What was said became the motivator to "get it done ahead of schedule".   

In the end, my little project offered up the components for getting something done —

  • Planning (this includes a time and event schedule).
  • The right tools (or resources).
  • The desire to do it. 
  • The motivation to get it done.

It seems motivation is the fuel that makes something happen, and for me, when someone suggests, "I can't do something", it seems to be motivation of the high-octane variety.

Don't ask me why.

iamgpe