There is no way to deny the fact that our jobs shape us. For the last twenty years, my job has been finding problems in complex systems. Technically, I build software, but most programmers will tell you that the bulk of our job is finding the dead bodies, or “bugs”, that are buried inside the systems. People come to me with a business problems, I draw out a solution on a board in detail highlighting all the issues they neglected to think about. Then I shoot holes in the design. Then I redesign it. Then I shoot holes in that design. This keeps going until we end up with a bulletproof solution that solves all the problems and magically fits in their budget. If we can’t make the theory work on the whiteboard, then it certainly won’t work after a thousand man-hours of programming. I’m trained to think out loud, diagnose, and fix. I look for problems, not just shallow problems, but I look for the root causes. I see dead bodies everywhere. My brain is now wired to look at the most beautiful things in the world and point out the one small potential flaw. This really sucks! Just ask my beautiful wife.

Don’t confuse me with a perfectionist. I’m far from that. I like the imperfections I find. My favorite people have colorful personalities. The more quirky and flawed the more I like them. I’ve been in music studios many times as both a musician and an engineer. One thing I learned from recording music is that flaws are what make people great. My favorite singers are people with horrible voices. What we call “character” is usually a deviated septum, a bad accent, or a lack of technical training. Singers like Neil Young, Tom Petty and even Kurt Cobain have always inspired me with their technically flawed voices and the guts to sing anyway. Thank God that Jimi Hendrix never took classical guitar lessons and that he could rarely find a guitar that stayed in tune. Those imperfections are what make for magical moments.

If I’m in a heated debate with you, or make a comment on your blog, or if I review your book and point out a few small flaws, then just remember I’m the crazy guy who actually took the time to count all the bad notes in my favorite Jimi Hendrix performance. But, I’m also the guy who bought all his albums, hung his poster on my wall and stayed up all night trying to figure out how the hell you turn a sour note into a legendary moment that transcends words. So remember, our difference of opinion may be exactly why I like you, but I probably got lost in the analysis and then buried the lead.