Category: Amor fati

Lessons Learned: Accountability, Visibility, and Staying Present

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I was working on a task based on the initial assumptions and requirements available at that time. We developed the integration accordingly.

Later, the client’s requirements changed, including the integration pattern. As a result, some of the work we had already completed may no longer be usable.

The change itself was not entirely within my control. However, instead of focusing on blame, I need to recognize the part that is within my control: how I manage the situation, protect the work of my team, and provide visibility into what actually happened.

1. Defend the Work with Facts

One of my biggest lessons is that I need to be able to defend the work—not emotionally, but with facts and evidence.

I should clearly understand how resources are being utilized:

  • Which task is assigned to each resource?
  • When was the task assigned?
  • When did the resource start working on it?
  • How much time was spent on it?
  • When was it completed and submitted?
  • When was it reviewed by QA or the functional consultant?
  • Was rework requested, and why?
  • When did the rework start and finish?
  • When was the task finally reviewed and closed?
  • Was any work discarded because of a requirement or design change?

This information should become a measurable task and resource matrix.

If a project changes direction, I should be able to demonstrate clearly: This was the requirement at that time, this was the work completed against it, this was the effort consumed, and this is when and why the requirement changed.

That is not about blaming someone. It is about creating transparency and protecting the team through evidence.

2. Take Responsibility for What I Can Control

I cannot control every client decision, requirement change, or project situation. But I am responsible for how I respond.

Instead of becoming depressed, defensive, or suppressed by the situation, I need to examine the reality objectively.

What happened? What can I learn from it? What information was missing? What should I track differently next time? What action can I take now?

Every difficult situation should improve my management system.

3. Live and Work in the Present Moment

The second major lesson is to remain fully present.

If my mind is occupied with what happened in the past, I may become frustrated or defensive. If it is constantly worried about what might happen in the future, I may become anxious.

Neither helps me deal effectively with the situation in front of me.

The past is useful for learning.
The future is useful for planning.
But action can only happen in the present.

When I am fully present, I can observe the facts, understand what people are doing, ask the right questions, document decisions, identify risks early, and defend my work professionally.

So the principle I want to follow is:

Do not fight the past. Do not fear the future. Understand the present situation clearly, document the facts, and take the best possible action now.

Between Struggle and Stillness

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While sitting alone in my room, I try to bring meditation into my daily life. Life is truly difficult. Challenges keep appearing one after another — my motorcycle engine oil is leaking even after spending money to fix it, the expenses of raising a teenage son, his lack of focus on studies, people ignoring you, and situations that make you feel small and worthless. Yet somehow, I am still surviving.

Financial struggles are another heavy burden. But even then, I keep moving forward. I struggle, focus on what I can control, set goals, and put effort into the next action in front of me. Again and again, I remind myself of Amor Fati and what the Gita teaches: detach yourself from the outcome and focus only on your actions. These ideas help me keep going.

There is a book called The Practicing Mind. It explains that no one can master a musical instrument by practicing only a few times. A musician may repeat the same tune fifty times a day before being able to perform it beautifully on stage. During practice, the mind keeps making noise — telling us to stop, to do something else, to escape discomfort. Many times, we become bored, restless, and frustrated, yet we continue practicing anyway.

Maybe that is the real lesson of life: stay with the present moment, focus on what needs to be done, and keep practicing your path, no matter how noisy the mind becomes.

Perfection is enemy of good

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In life, we find many people who are waiting for the perfect moment to change their lives.

They wait for the perfect job so they can succeed.
They wait for the perfect life partner.

But in the end, they never move—they stay stuck in life.

In software development, there is a term:
“Ship it — imperfect is better.”

Let’s see how we can apply this idea to our personal lives.

Hello friends,
My name is Ali Raza Zaidi. I am an ERP consultant, software developer, and part-time content creator.

When I was relatively new in my career, I worked at a place where Oracle was implemented. One of their ERP implementations had failed. Then a new IT manager was recruited, and he started working on fixing things.

He decided to develop a custom warehouse management solution for the organization. With three months of effort, we were able to build a solution.

At that time, the solution was working, but it had many bugs.

The IT manager decided to launch it anyway.

We were afraid—what would happen?
There were issues in the system. We thought end users might lose confidence in the software.

But we launched the product, and users started using it.

We found many issues, but with another three months of effort, we fixed them one by one. Slowly, things improved, and the system became stable.

They called it a mature system.

💡 What did I learn from that lesson?

Sometimes, perfection makes us stuck.
We become unable to deliver.

When we keep seeking perfection, we end up delivering nothing.

I saw a similar example in real life.

One of my college fellows came from a wealthy family. When we graduated, I couldn’t find a job in a big company, so I started with a very low salary.

Meanwhile, my friend kept complaining:
“The salary is too low. I’ve spent a lot of money on my education.”

He never started his software career.

Eventually, he moved to the US and ended up working as a cab driver. I believe he is still complaining about life.

⚡ The reality is:

In life, we need momentum, not perfection.

We don’t need the perfect time to go to the gym.
We can start small—just go and begin.

If you miss a day, go the next day.
Keep trying.

I have another friend who is a very good writer.

One day, he shared his diary with me. His writing was excellent.

But he never started a blog or a YouTube channel.

Why?

Because he was waiting to write something perfect.

🧠 What I believe:

A not-perfect post that is published
has more value than a perfect one that is never posted.

As a software architect, I have faced many situations where things didn’t go as planned. There is always negative feedback.

But in reality, customers don’t want a perfect feature after three months.
They want something useful that works today.

That’s why in software we use Agile:

  • Decide a small portion
  • Build it
  • Test it
  • Deliver it

Delivery is important. Until we deliver, we cannot get feedback.

And feedback is the source of improvement.

There is also a possibility that the paragraph you delete
might have resonated with a reader.

There is an 80/20 rule which says:

80% of progress comes from 20% of effort.

Perfection usually takes much more time than “good enough.”

🚀 What does “Ship it” mean?

It does not mean you ship garbage.

It means:

  • Functional over flawless
  • Useful over perfect

We need a mindset shift for that.

Instead of waiting for the right time,
set a clear deadline.

Instead of focusing on being flawless,
focus on being useful.

Instead of worrying about critics,
focus on early adopters.

Instead of polishing the edges,
make sure the core works.

🔥 The bottom line:

Done is better than perfect.
Momentum is far better.
Momentum is a better teacher than stagnation.

When you deliver something imperfect,
you are not failing—you are starting.

So:

  • Write the draft
  • Write the code
  • Do basic testing
  • Send the proposal

The world does not need perfection.
It needs your contribution.

From Gautama Buddha:

“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”

Overthinking is a trap.

Presence + Action = Progress

There is a Japanese concept called Wabi-Sabi, which means finding beauty in imperfection.

It teaches us:

  • Nothing is perfect
  • Nothing lasts forever
  • Nothing is ever complete

The thing you are spending too much time perfecting
may not be as important as you think.

And after delivering it, you might discover something even better.

🌿 Final Thought

Flaws are not mistakes — they are character.

Life’s challenges and our response to it.

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Life is full of challenges — and interestingly, these very challenges are what make life meaningful. If difficulties did not exist, life would lose much of its depth, purpose, and excitement. Our focus and interest grow when we push our limits to achieve something.

But many challenges appear without any clear reason. They arise unexpectedly. Yet even these teach us a valuable lesson: we must stay prepared. Otherwise, life will keep presenting the same lesson until we learn it.

At other times, challenges do have a clear cause. After facing them, it becomes our responsibility to identify the root reason and fix it. Once the cause is corrected, the problem is far less likely to return.

Of course, sometimes bad luck strikes. Unfortunate events happen despite our sincere efforts. We do everything we can, yet the outcome is not what we hoped for. In such moments, it feels like we have lost the battle.

This is where the Stoic idea of Amor Fati comes in — “love your fate.” It means embracing whatever happens with an open heart, trusting that everything ultimately comes from Allah, from a higher wisdom (Prajñāna Brahman), from a bigger picture beyond our control. Results are not always in our hands; only our actions are.

We feel happy when life aligns with our wishes, and unhappy when it doesn’t. But what truly matters is that we give our full effort with sincerity. When we do that, there is no regret.

Another Stoic principle reminds us to focus only on what is within our control. Whatever the situation may be, we always have a choice in how we respond, how we interpret it, and what we make of it.