Ok, so I tried to learn PHP by creating a CRM program in that language. No really.... I succeeded in learning PHP. I was less successful in creating a CRM. Well, actually, I created a decent CRM for some markets, but failed at marketing it and eventually abandoned it. I didn't realize it at the time but this sort of thing is a key to my successes: I rarely take on a major project for one reason only. Instead I take them on for a myriad of reasons so even if the project fails, it's hardly a complete loss.

When I look back into the economic opportunities I "fell into" the same principle was at work. I did something, did it for two or three reasons, one fell through, another one became important, and suddenly my direction shifted. The same thing is now happening as well.....

In nature in a healthy ecosystem, no plant fills only a single niche, and no niche is filled by only a single species. I guess it took reading about permaculture to see some of my own patterns in a deeper light.