I used to think that blogging was reserved for those who write for a living (e.g. political pundits, industry analysts, journalists, etc.) and for those who have an inordinate amount of spare time. Although a reader of many blogs of people I admire, respect or find informational, I never thought of blogging myself. Why? I am one of those people who likes to think I don’t care about what other people think of me. However, I must admit that on some unconscious level, I feared that people may view me in the most negative way I can imagine: a hackneyed blowhard without anything substantive to say. In other words, sound and fury signifying nothing.
So why blog now? I spend much of my energies on my intellectual pursuits (both in my work and private life) and my family. Why spend some of my free time blogging?
- Self-reflection and self-expression is essentially “human” and healthy. Like most working professionals, I leave work a majority of the days questioning what exactly was I able to accomplish and how do I feel about how I’m living my life. Exercising does can help temper feelings of anger and frustration, but writing may be the best for who I am. The goal here is not to influence many, but to affect some. As Craig Thompson so beautifully closes Blankets ,”How satisfying it is to leave a mark on a blank surface. To make a map of my movement – no matter how temporary.”
- There is no better time than the present. I write at work to order my thoughts and to uncover holes in analysis and thinking. Having worked 15 years building web based business applications, I’m very aware of the fact that never before in human history has the individual voice had such reach and potentially such affect.
This opportunity is too great to pass up. Although I prefer one-on-one and face-to-face communication with people I respect, this medium offers the promise of conversing about subjects and issues that I find important with people I would never have the chance to interact with in other parts of my life.
So out with the pessimism that I have nothing important to say and in with the optimism that blogging will enrich my life. What have I go to lose? Seems the right and timely decision as 2009 comes to a close. Bring on 2010!
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Nice writing. I’m showing this to my wife as an example for her blog. No offense her content is no more interesting to me as techno stuff.I did this via blackberry that’s the extent of my ability. Keepo up the good work