An Inventor's Quest for the NHL Pt. 40
Resolutions and Reflections
This series follows my attempt to develop a product that I dream of getting into the elite levels of hockey. Previously on the Quest: Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, Concept Launch, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39
Happy new year! I thought I’d make a few resolutions, since it’ll make me look wise and reflective and you’ll forget about them in a few weeks.
But before I get into them, a quick update on the investment stuff – I’m still in the process of finding the right long-term investor, but in the interim, I shook down those closest to me to let me keep building.
Okay, to the resolutions:
#1 – Build More
I’d like to build a new prototype (or new test equipment) at least every two weeks. The longer I take between prototypes, the more I overthink and doubt myself, and lose momentum.
#2 – Take Bite Sized Chunks
A cage is pretty small and has a low part count, so I’ve been trying to swallow it whole. But if I can split it into even two or three pieces, my (intellectual) jaw might not dislocate so much.
#3 – Don’t Try to Re-Invent Everything
Even though I’m using it in a new way, a rope is still a rope.
#4 – Ignore Identities
Too often last year, I’d ask myself “what would a better mechanical engineer do?”, picture a smart person I’ve worked with, and try to approach the problem how I imagined they would. Unsurprisingly, this led me down paths I couldn’t follow. I’m just going to be me, not an “engineer” or an “inventor” or an “entrepreneur”.
#5 – Savor the Failures
I get to fail at what I love. I’m going to try to enjoy it more.
#6 – Make More Videos
It remains to be seen if I’m any good at this invention business, but people seem to enjoy hearing about my process. So why not lean into that a bit more and see where it takes me? I did have a lot of fun making the video where I introduced the Uncage
Speaking of making videos, would you look at that? A video in which I update my YouTube audience on what’s happened in the past year:
Man, I’m already crushing these resolutions.
Thanks for reading,
Surjan