I remember the first time it happened — when after working tireless hours, I lost all my work.
At the time, I was translating a book of a collection of real-life stories. The author, already an old man and author of many books, needed help with translating from English to Portuguese and transferring all the manuscripts he did on his typewriter to the computer. I worked as his assistant and, as a bonus, he was teaching me English.
The fact that I was just starting to learn the language gave the task a tremendous amount of work. Being old school, he loved going to his huge old dictionary in his vast library to check on words and explain the meaning to me. Without wi-fi and even Google (gasp!), every word was carefully chosen and painfully learned.
No wonder my dismay when I lost all of it. The old computer failed me and I was on the verge of tears. So many weekends of my summer lost in that quiet attic, working all day in vain?
That’s when he said something that made all the difference.
“Redo is easier than do.”
He already passed away but of all the things I learned with that kind old man, this is the thing that I carry the most with me until today, and it’s a source of comfort when things like that happen again. Because, as prepared as you are, there will be a time when you will lose your work and the frustration in real. You don’t want to lose time or think that you worked for nothing.
It just happened to me again. For some reason, all the writing I did on the page of my website was gone. I feel frustrated. I lost my time. I have to do it all over again.
Have you ever felt in a similar situation? Maybe you lost a project at school, a recipe that didn’t work, or a relationship that failed. While not all cases will be the same and not everything you can just start over in the same way, one thing is for sure: you can learn from it and use your experience for the next endeavor.
And guess what, he was right. The second time around was much easier. I had learned a few things. The memory was still fresh. And I had the experience. So it didn’t take as much time as it did the first time, nor as much work and research. I knew more.
Do you have to start over something? Remember this:
- You don’t have to go through the same things you did the first time around
Nobody likes to experience pain and hardship, especially more than necessary. Turns out, you don’t have to. Now you know the way, the path is beaten and you’re more prepared.
- The experience is useful
Maybe you lost your job or a long-term relationship, maybe your business failed. Whatever experience you have from the past, it’s certainly useful. Life has given you new understanding and knowledge. Use that.
- Redo is easier than do
At least if you have to rewrite an article, remake the project, start a new career… and a lot of other things. Sure, redoing is not necessarily fun, but nevertheless easier. Because you know better.
- It could actually be a good thing
In my case just now, it made me write this article. It has been a while since I last wrote anything, so for me, I’m actually glad it happened. When something doesn’t work out, it may be an opportunity for something else to knock at the door. Just be ready for it.
I’m glad I didn’t have a chance to give up on the book translation. But I remember the other times in life when I did, like when I started my photography business years ago. So much work put into it, sleepless nights, and money invested with little return. I gave up. But now I’m back, and I have a better understanding and experience. I do believe that redoing is easier than doing. The only thing I need is perseverance to keep going, even when upsetting things happen, like a website page going black apparently for no reason.
So instead of becoming incredibly frustrated with my wasted time, I’ll start over, with a heart a little lighter, knowing that redoing is easier than doing.
That’s for you too. Don’t lose heart. You can do it (again)!
