Projects and life have a lot in common

Published 9 months ago • 1 min read

When I had no money, I spent my days around people who criticized others.
Now that I have a little money, all I hear when someone talks about others is: “I love that guy,” “He’s brilliant,” “What a machine”, “Qué huevos tiene”, etc.

Failures focus on hating.
Successful people focus on admiring—and finding people worth admiring.

Failures assume malice.
Successful people assume kindness.

Failures obsess over what they don’t like.
Successful people are blind to what they don’t like.

Failures can’t forgive details that successful people don’t even notice.

Failures always have an excuse to justify someone else’s success.

Successful people always find a reason to go further.

And the explanation is simple:
Failures are addicted to dependency.

Because slavery takes away the heaviest burden in the universe: responsibility.

That’s why even when a slave escapes and accidentally makes money, they immediately search for something new to enslave themselves to: meetings, commitments, micro-management.

Look…

This is simple.

If you want to be free, learn to love yourself—because there is no master more cruel than the one inside your own head.

That’s the first thing I’d do if I were living in slavery.

The second? Eliminate every obstacle between what I want and what I have.

The third? Learn. Want more.

Yes.

I talk about life. Your life. My life. And projects. PPP projects. Any kind of project.

Don’t pass the hot potato. Assume your responsibility. Learn. Thrive.

People still believe that to learn you need to suffer.

But no.

It’s more simpler than that.

Lessons about life and projects below.

$99.90

The 15 Top Lessons of a PPP Project Nightmare

Learn about:
The number 1 killer of Projects
Why this was not going to be just "another construction project, mate"... Read more

Get those lessons now

PD 1: If you liked this email, don't keep it in secret and forward it to a friend. They will thank you enormously one day.

PD 2: If somebody has sent you this email and you want to receive emails like this yourself, visit vicentevalencia.com

PD 3: If you want unsubscribe, click the link below.

C*jonudo stuff

It’s surprising human’s resistance to change. A clause. A clause destined to fail. And it did. Problems. Disputes. Relationships destroyed. Delays. Claims. And you know what… They repeat in the next project… Even if it is evident that the clause will generate issues. Too much grey. Sometimes this grey has advantages within a group of reasonable and experienced people. But unfortunately, common sense is uncommon. I explained the issue. Everybody nodded. And of course… the clause remained…...

about 23 hours ago • 1 min read

Local markets, weak supply chains, and a $100 million mistake

I love going to local markets. I tried one this weekend. All vendors shouting: “Try this.” “Taste that.” “Best cheese in town.” “Organic honey.” Everyone fighting for your attention. It’s nice. It feels human. You try things. You buy things. You feel good helping local producers. I love that. But price is sometimes an issue. It’s not cheap. And it can’t be cheap. These guys work at very small scale. Their margins need to be enormous just to make a living. I don’t blame them. And honestly,...

2 days ago • 1 min read

More about the World Bank...

I’m an engineer. By accident. But an engineer nevertheless. I’ve seen landslides during construction, and after construction. Specifications not converting properly between inches and cm. Expansion joints popping up in summer like popcorn. Pavement failing in the first winter after opening. Subcontractors going broke. Or bought by the competition you stole the project from… But still… 80% of serious PPP failures are NOT technical… They are contractual. Risk allocation errors Toxic KPI regimes...