Ever see some of your work take on almost mythical levels of truth?
I have, and while I am deeply flattered and it is also kind of annoying. Most people don't know where the rule came from, and it's treated like it came down on some ancient tablet of engineering principles.
Ladies, it was a shower thought.
I had a tight, high level deadline. Had been slicing and dicing data in different ways trying to come up with the right way to do it. Worked late. Went home unsuccessful. Took a shower the next morning and bam! I'm making this harder than it needs to be. This is about communication, not precision. I went with a broad brush that was easy to communicate and audited. That was easily defensible.
Made my 10 am deadline.
Turns out was sticky idea, and took on a life of its own. Now, some 15 years later, it's a foundation behind hundreds of millions of dollars spending and safety work. One of the first things you learn as an engineer here. It is crazy to see how deep this concept has crept into people's heads.
So yes, deeply flattering. But that bit of imposter syndrome is still there. How the hell can this many people trust my work? Even worse: will it somehow fall apart and I'll be blamed.