Creator of SETT. Adventurer.
Tynan

The Privilege of Blogging

  • Tynan
  • 6 years ago
  • 66 replies
  • 6 repliesNo likes
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I think a lot can be changed just by looking at something from a different angle.

A friend mentioned that this blog has been quiet a while. Yeah, I told him, I've been working on Life Nomadic. That's part of it, but it's not everything. Sometimes I'm struck with inspiration and can't wait to get a post out. Sometimes, like a kid running across the lawn, I just want to write for the sake of writing and I crank out three or four posts.

But sometimes it feels like an obligation. Something that I should do, or something that I have to do.

I'm a nomad. The closest thing I have to a permanent home is a tiny little RV. Or is it? Maybe it's the internet. I have far more files stored online than I have physical possessions. My mail gets delivered there, I earn my money there, and I talk to my friends there more than anywhere else.

If the internet is my home, then this site is my front door. And every day 1600+ people come to my front door to hear what I have to say. Eleven hundred (RSS) have made dropping by my house part of their daily routine. Another five hundred stop by for some reason or another.

Man, what an honor that is. It's easy to forget that each of those people is a real person who has made a conscious decision to come here. It's easy to compare my traffic stats to the most popular blogs and feel insignificant.

How would I feel if 1600 people came to my front door every day, interested in taking the time to hear whatever I had to say that day? It wouldn't feel like an obligation, it would feel like a privilege. Next time I don't feel like writing a post, that's what I'll think about.

And what profound gem to I have to share today? A video of the shop girl at Kate Spade in Caesar's Palace giving me a ride on their ladder.

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roger
  • roger
  • 6 years ago
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Ah inspirational. Next time I feel unhappy about my supposedly abysmal statistics I'll just remember that the figure's wayy more than the number of people who I'd talk to in a day... what more visit my home.

Oh and the ladder thing's kinda lame. But at least the shop girl's cute :D

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Jimlad
  • Jimlad
  • 6 years ago
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I'm actually really curious how you persuaded her to do that. How the hell?! Was the store really quiet?

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Jeff Standing
  • Jeff Standing
  • 6 years ago
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It's good to see a refreshing view like this on the role a blogger serves in keeping around readers. You don't have to post often, just post well.
And Tynan, you do that well.

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StartBreakingFre
  • StartBreakingFre
  • 6 years ago
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Great point Tynan. When gains are slow and incremental (like blog readers) it's sometimes hard to really get perspective and see how far you've come. Thanks for the reminder of how far I've gotten. Best post of the day!

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aoj
  • aoj
  • 6 years ago
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Ditto to Philip.

Your words are an inspiration - the fact you say you can force yourself to sit and write is a great contrast to how I view doing work. I don't think I could force myself to write anything worthwhile. It would be mostly fluff if so. Perhaps you have a lot more to say ;)

Freelance Writer, Vegan, Traveler
Philip
  • Philip
  • 6 years ago
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I really like the comparison of people visiting your site to your house. I have been visiting your front door for awhile now, and I always like to hear what you have to say. I don't know about others, but I come here to hear about your life and views. They are always entertaining. It shouldn't be forced or else it won't be as good.

I hope you post only as much as you feel you want to.

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On Bullshit

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What is bullshit? Well, it's watching TV. It's browsing the internet mindlessly. It's partying. It's doing busy work. It's hanging out with people not so much because you like them, but because you don't want to be alone. It's eating for the sake of filling time.

When Is Your Lowest Priority Task Your Most Important?

You know that feeling when you're having a great day, but you forget exactly why it's so great? There's that feeling that something really good happened earlier, and its glow is being carried forward, even though you maybe don't have the original positive event in the front of your mind. I had that feeling today as I parked my motorcycle, ready to get started on work.

As I do when I have that feeling, I mentally rewound the clock to try to remember why I was in an extra-good mood. I figured it out-- I had fixed the tail light of my motorcycle. At first I felt foolish for being so happy about my tail light being fixed. It wasn't even fully broken, it's just that the brake light stayed on all the time. The brake light is behind me, so I never even see this light, making the direct effect on my life roughly zero.

I thought about this for a few minutes, and I realized that there was a good reason to feel happy about the motorcycle light. It wasn't that the light was fixed that was making me happy, it was removing that tiny little pebble of responsibility from my shoe. Almost every day I would think about fixing my brake light, wouldn't get to it, and would remember to remember it the next day.

That's the trap of these low priority tasks that sometimes don't even make it to our todo lists due to their triviality. They take up mental space, they make us feel like we're behind a little bit, but they never feel important enough to prioritize. How can I honestly say that my brake light is more important than working on Sett?

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