A powerful distinction

My new bag is tech-writing; as such it behoves me to do it better than most of the competition.  I have learned to focus on the philosophy and then fill in the details as I go - rather than learning a hodge-podge of details and then hoping that in time I will "get it" later.  In the process of learning the philosophy of tech-writing I came across this quote, "Be sure...that the goal is not simply To Accurately Document The Thing, but to Help The User Kick Ass." 

When I read this, I was so moved by how utterly pure the thought was, how lucidly it summed up what I need to do as a writer that I literally put my hands on my lap and read the phrase over and over again.  It didn;t take long to see how well this would apply to every facet of my life.  Here are a few of the applications that occured to me.  If you have one that hits you, feel free to post it.

• Be sure...that the goal is not simply To Do Friendly Things with an Aquaintance, but to Help Make a Friendship Kick Ass.
• Be sure...that the goal is not simply To Not Work for a Day, but to Help The Vacation Kick Ass.
• Be sure...that the goal is not simply To Accurately Listen to What is Being Said, but to Help My Listening Skills Kick Ass.

Comments

[Rebecca R.]

I was attempting to think of something clever, but this is all I could muster up.

Be sure that the goal is to not simply eat food, but to help prepare our bodies to kick ass.

I guess I'm hungry.

[anonymous]

All I had was a dirty joke, I decided that it was too lewd for this dewd!

I think there is wisdom on that statement though, I always get caught in the details, not so much the overall mission.