As I write this post, I have been knee-deep in a technical issue on the website for some cumulative 25 hours or so. For a number of reasons I have decided to make the entire website use security like banks do.
It’s called SSL and you can tell when you’re connected securely, because the web address at the top of the page will start with https:// instead of http://.
That little extra “s” means secure. You also usually see a little padlock or some other icon denoting security.
About every 4 or 5 hours, I seemed to run into a complete brick wall – fully stopping my progress.
There was gnashing of teeth and frustration until I focused that energy into discovering solutions: ways around the block (or under / over / through it…).
At some point usually in the transition between teeth gnashing and the resumption of forward progress, I ended up having to reconsider whether the change was worth this amount of effort.
I mean, I’m not ACTUALLY running a bank.
For me, the main reasons for this level of security is that it gives me the ability to securely host files for clients to download, and to ensure privacy for website visitors.
Each and every time, I decided to move forward again because the goal was still important to me. Not just because of the logistical benefits or the time I’d already spent, but because I like knowing that that I’ve done my part for security and privacy – especially while good people are visiting my corner of the Internet.
You may not be setting up SSL on a website, but you have similar challenges of your own.
And as you consider your issues – those significant projects and goals that you want to accomplish – it’s important to realize that you have a choice on whether to continue or not.
There is no shame in deciding that it’s no longer worth the effort, or that the goal is no longer that important to you.
Don’t get into the emotional spin-cycle of critical self-judgement that you’ve “failed again.”
Or accept the fallacy of “sunk cost” because you’ve already invested so much time/effort, you MUST continue or your previous effort would be wasted…(if that’s true, why waste _more_ time by continuing?)
Instead, see quitting as a choice that you’ve made deliberately, one that was made on purpose, one made rationally.
While some may think that quitting is failure, making (and viewing) the decision to stop as one that YOU chose actually boosts your own empowerment and self-direction.
All of which will help you as you move forward onto something more worthy of your time and energy.
P.S. If you are thinking of making a website, a) I would suggest doing the SSL thing at the get-go 🙂 and b) I have some tips!