Why are you doing this!?

If I’m honest, I don’t really know.

I’m certainly not looking for fame or to make a name for myself. I don’t want to sell anything or make money with it. I don’t profess to be an expert on anything, desperately in need of sharing the essential insights that I possess with the world.

And I’m not entirely sure whether or not I do actually have anything truly interesting or original to say; I guess you can be the judge of that…

Somewhere to share ideas

When you’re standing at the foot of a new challenge that needs scaling, it’s very easy to see what makes it intriguing - you were drawn into tackling it, after all. Once you reach the summit, it’s all too easy to take that achievement for granted, and to lose sight of whatever made it interesting in the first place.

Whilst you’re in the middle of climbing though - solving problems and learning everything you need to know to get to the top - that’s when you’re best placed to talk about the interesting little ideas that you come up with along the way.

I really wanted somewhere that I could crystalise those ideas. Somewhere to write down the struggles and their solutions whilst I was in the moment.

I hope that this blog can be that place.

Somewhere to think out loud

As I’ve slowly ascended the career ladder, I’ve found myself being judged less on the things I produce, and more on the things that I say.

A younger, more naive me would have told you that, if you look hard enough, everything is ultimately black and white. These days, I believe the exact opposite. Every fact is underpinned by assumption, belief and approximation. Every solution is often one of many, each with their own drawbacks and advantages.

It’s because of this that I often find myself mulling over half-formed thoughts: observations about how the world works that I truly understand internally, but can’t quite articulate fully.

I felt like I needed somewhere to express those concepts, perhaps in vain, as eloquently as I possibly could.

I hope that this blog can be that place.

Somewhere to remember

I’ve always struggled when it comes to expressing pride in what I do.¹

It makes me deeply uncomfortable. It feels rude and self-righteous.

The big problem with this outlook on life, is that often I keep things to myself. Over time, those memories fade and things get forgotten and the things I’ve created get lost.

So, purely from a selfish perspective, I wanted somewhere to keep a record of those things. Somewhere I can look back at them in decades to come.

I hope that this blog can be that place.

Somewhere for you too

Whether I’m only speaking to myself years from now, or speaking to my own army of dedicated readers, I truly hope that you find value in what’s written here.

I hope that the ideas I share help you overcome the same problems I’ve faced.

I hope that the thoughts I share help change your view of the world for the better.

I hope that the memories I share inspire you to make your own creations.

If I manage to do any of those things for even one person, I’ll be happy. And if you do like what you find here, please share it with anyone else that might find it interesting.