Inspiration + Perspiration = Innovation
Edison said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. I don’t want to disagree with a hard-working genius like Edison – effort is certainly crucial when trying to innovate. But here in my current work environment, I think Inspiration might be needed – and provided – in slightly larger proportions…
It’s one of the cool things about working someplace where my personal values are pretty much in line with corporate value. If someone asks you what you do for a living, you can say, “Whatever God wants.” That’s a little cheeky, but when you work for the Church, your daily task list is driven not by advertising, sales figures, page views, or the almighty dollar… but in some sense by the Almighty Himself.
What is it He wants to accomplish by this web site, application, or whatever? Whether it is to teach the Gospel, help a prospective missionary fill out his papers, disseminate policy directives to local leaders, or show somebody in Zimbabwe how to do family history, the goal is something that Matters, not just to the “company” or even to “the customer”, but to God, and therefore to me.
That’s the Inspiration that drives my Perspiration.