Your mindset and beliefs multiply your results
Original email from 18th Apr, 2025
"You don't have permission to view the repository."
*sigh*
I stare at the Bitbucket error message. The cold truth hits me right then and there.
"I'm not a part of this project anymore..."
I close the window and open VS Code to familiarize myself with the new shiny code I get the chance to work on now. That's because...
I've recently switched projects at work!
New codebase, new framework (Next.js), new standards, new team dynamics, and new practices to learn as I get accustomed to my new environment. Some of my skills with things like TypeScript were getting pretty rusty, so this is a wonderful opportunity to take the time and practice them in a new project.
It's interesting, though, when you leave a team you had fun working with. You realize how seamless work and communication can be when you get a really good vibe going with others. It takes a lot of work to build, and I'm proud of the things we've done there.
That's one of the pains of starting a new project with a new team – you have to find your groove with them and define the rules we'll all operate under. It's hard, but oh so worth it.
Welp, I feel like I'm reminiscing like an old man now, so let's go over a small lesson that this situation reminded me about.
Your mindset and beliefs multiply your results
Since starting again with a new team on a project, I feel like I'm back on "level 1".
In level 1, you learn the basics and go through introductions. Who is the client, what is the project about, what are they doing, and how are we helping? Who is involved in the team? What are their names and roles? How does communication work in this project? All that fun jazz.
In level 2, you get more technical. You try to understand the code, how things are organized, the general coding standards, and the overall architecture. You start having a small chat with teammates and get a general vibe of how people prefer to communicate.
In level x >= 3, things get more complicated, and the responsibilities tend to be higher. You're expected to do more and execute better as you get more reps done in the new environment.
As you gain more experience and get more familiar with more tools, you can imagine that you go through these levels faster and faster with each new project. You'll probably finish level 2 faster in your fifteenth project rather than on your third.
But besides experience, is there anything else exceptional developers can do to make this process easier and faster?
Yup, and that's with having the right beliefs.
Depending on your internal rules and the way you view the world, you can make things easier or harder on yourself. And when you have your beliefs aligned with your tasks and goals, your effectiveness increases.
You can think of these beliefs as working at level 0. It's the stuff you do and work on before you even start the job.
Here are some of the beliefs I have developed that I feel have made this new process easier to deal with:
Given enough time and patience, I can learn anything.
A lot of the skills and practices I've picked up in earlier projects can be transferred here, even in places that aren't so obvious.
If I help create a good vibe with people around me and in the team dynamic, things become more fun to work on, and people work better.
You become faster at picking up new tools and frameworks if you understand the high-level ideas behind them and compare them to previous tools you've worked with.
It's okay to not know and ask silly or dumb questions. I will find the best time to ask them as to respect other people's time and do my own due diligence.
And so on and so forth.
If you want a similar but different spin on this topic, check out my latest Linkedin post where I wrote about this but in the context of programming.
It's easter weekend this week so everybody, please eat lots of chocolate and have a wonderful time with family.
Thank you again for reading!