When I was 8 years old, my parents decided it was time for me to take piano lessons. I grew up in a musical family, and they recognized that I probably had enough talent to make it worth the investment. (As it turns out, they were right…I was a professional musician for many years.)
While I loved music, I loved baseball more.
My dream job was to play centerfield for my beloved Minnesota Twins. As an 8-year-old, the idea of spending ANY time practicing piano was horrifying to me. It seemed ‘girly’, and counterproductive to my desire to roam the outfield at Metropolitan Stadium.
Fast forward to high school. While I still had dreams of playing baseball, I began to realize that I was going to be a player of average size, speed, and frankly, talent. Music, on the other hand, came very naturally to me. (I also came to the realization that girls liked musicians!) We had a piano in our house, so I began teaching myself to play. In just over a year I was singing and playing in churches. Was I any good at piano? Not really, but I was good enough to fool most people.
I have a friend who is a classically trained pianist. To this day, he still practices several hours each day, honing his craft. When I listen to him play, I am transported to another emotional dimension. I am amazed, and also a little sad.
What if, as an 8-year-old, I had taken the long view? What if I had suffered through the lessons? What if I had been able to see the goal and sacrificed in the short term?
Today, I would love to play like my friend, but I can’t. By the time I realized what I had missed, it was too late. I had too many bad habits and too many gigs to find time to start over.
Don’t take shortcuts in your content migration.
As you consider your migration and some of the key issues I mentioned in previous articles, don’t take the short view. Try to put yourself 5 years out from your project and ask yourself, “What do I wish I had done when I started this? What sacrifices should I have been willing to make? What problems do I have now that I could have avoided if I’d been willing to take a longer term view?”
Answer the question…then do it today. It may not get you playing Mozart, but then again…it might.