On Second Thought

Technician in a Bangladesh Laboratory | Source

Working Towards Something Better

THE INTERNET IS a remarkable utility that has changed humanity forever. Never in history has information been more freely available. Past generations wouldn’t have been able to fathom the amount of personal freedom that the Internet has given us. Because while the availability of content to consume is ever-present, what’s even more important is the fact we ourselves have the ability to create, to freely voice our opinions and creativity.

I’m starting to wonder what I’m doing on Medium, with my writing. I enjoy writing because it’s creating something. This has been at the heart of my identity — of who I think I am — for as long as I can remember. I want to discover or contribute something important to the world — that’s what I’ve set as my purpose in life.

And I’ve tried my best to find the most efficient way of creating good. Voltaire popularized the aphorism that perfect is the enemy is good. Confucius, similarly, is attributed to having said that a diamond with a flaw is better than a pebble without.

What I’ve realized, is that it’s far easier to find a diamond in the rough when you have more rough to work with. To reserve less judgement on myself and what I create and post more freely. I can’t wait for perfect — or try to reinvent the wheel — I need to publish what I have, I need to work harder.

But then I have to ask myself, what exactly am I working towards? Having a lofty and high-level ambition might be good, but it’s a nebulous direction. I need a more structured and rigid plan. Who am I helping? How am I helping them? Those are the kind of questions I have to answer if I want to do something that matters.

I need to create a uniformity between what I have planned — a wide variety of interests including writing, web development, photography, music production, etc.

The projects I’ve created in the past have been their own entity, but I realize now that dilutes efforts. I believe that it is far more effective to work towards a single and essential goal, rather than try to multitask. There are a multitude of components that come into play when trying to be successful online. Who you are, your identity, also becomes a brand.

Stay tuned.

About B. Kenneth Brown