Zero OK Through The Days

Hi there,

Thanks for stopping by. If you're curious about what's going on with all the Zero OK codes, you are at the right place.

For the past couple of years, I've been consuming hours of coding material. Books, videos, tutorials, classes, and apps. With all the coding activities, I still haven't created anything substantial, and when it comes down to it, that's really how you learn.

It's not that I haven't tried, it's just that when I get stuck on something, I tend to put the project on hold and decide maybe I should keep learning and come back to it. I'm realizing now that this pattern is actually a form of procrastination and the root of this problem is self-doubt and a lack of displine.

The truth hurts but the pain passes. More importantly, when we recognize our own errors, we have a chance to change. I don't want the pain of wasted time and unexercised knowledge to pass, I want it to go away. I want to look back at this time in my life when I was struggling and feel pride that I didn't just give up and I didn't keep doing things that were not working for me. I am going to do something worthwhile with coding.

When we start something new, we start looking at end results of others' efforts in a different light. We will never see Freddie Mercury when he was struggling to increase his vocal range and we will never see J. K. Rowling sitting with writer's block trying to think up what happens next. We only enjoy the finished product and in doing so, it seems like the finished product was always great and the creator was always just good at creating.

If we really think about, we know this can't be the case. Still, our common conclusions are understandable when we consider we hardly ever witness the hours of hard work that proceed the moments we simply enjoy.

I have an idea for a website that excites me. I want to make use of all the time I've spent studying and make it useful to myself and to others. I plan to record the progress by sharing what the project looked like everyday that I worked on it. I think staying conscious of my growth, instead of where I am now vs. where I want to be, will be an effective remedy for my self-confidence issue. Also, I hope this method of recording will keep me accountable to keep building everyday.

It's not the case that I think Zero OK is going to be a big deal to anyone other than me. It's not going to make any money and it's not going to accomplish anything new. I'm not implying that I'm like, the Freddie Mercury or J.K. Rowling of programming. But, I'm passionate enough about this idea that I can see myself finishing it and this is significant.

Every Sunday, I will make a week's worth of code public. You can see the progress throughout the week, and overtime, throughout the months. I won't detail my extact end goal for the project here or in the codes that follow. It will be more fun to see Zero OK as it is revealed. But, I am around to answer any questions you have, including inqueries about the resources I'm using or the code I'm writing. I'm here for the long haul.

From the Ashes,

Amy

zeroOK/progress.js