Don’t settle for a bootleg

Yesterday, I wrote about a hobby I had as a teenager: hacking my Windows computer’s interface to look like a Mac. Eventually, I made a decision that I just wanted to buy a real Mac. That was a significant mindset shift: making due with the status quo wasn’t the only choice. I could just choose to do the real thing. In my case, get a job or do some odd jobs, save money, and eventually buy a real Mac computer. Or, look for contests that had Macs as a prize, participate in as many as possible, and try to win. (Like how a young Donald Glover won the Nintendo 64.) Or, visit local garage sales and see if there were any used Mac computers on sale. Optimizing the status quo can only take you so far. Any time you spend improving a bandage solution is time you could have spent working towards a better real solution. Focus your resourcefulness on a better Plan A. You deserve the real thing. Settling for a bootleg version of it is a choice. I’m glad I eventually learned this lesson, though as…