Dennis Hong and his secrets to success

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 in: Current Events

If you’ve known me for any length of time, I’ve probably mentioned the TED conference or one of its talks. Whenever I’m bored with the internet or feel the emptiness of not having something worth thinking about, I go to www.TED.com to scare up some inspiration. TED is like a lightning rod for good ideas and compelling stories; I always learn something when I watch one of their videos, either directly from the speaker, or inferred through my own interpretation of the materials.

This is a particularly interesting video to me, and not just because of the cool robots Dennis showcases in the first half. What struck me was the second half of the video, where he divulged his secrets of success. I too suffer from an overactive brain in the wee hours of the morning, and I also try to keep a notebook handy just in case a worthy thought flies by, but I realized I need to make it a ritual in order to maximize my output. I also really liked how he took his ideas and archived them on the computer, so he could categorize them for future reference, which comes in handy because he actually gets funding for his ideas.

But it’s not enough to have great ideas, or even work on great projects. I need to have fun doing it. Fun is rocket fuel for life; fun is what moves mountains.

Are you having any fun?

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