CONGRATULATIONS! Maybe to some people it's easy, but to me 90 days of writing unique and thoughtful content, often including research, is extremely impressive. Your effort inspired me to consider doing it sometime (note my lack of commitment). My main commitment now seems to be doing what feels good in a deeper and maybe more sustainable sense, although distinguishing that from just being old and lazy is hazy.
I also noticed the paucity of comments on this platform (I presume I'm not the only person reading it), but that's how it goes in today's media world - attention received seems to be entirely unrelated to the quality of content given. One always presumes one lives in a meritocracy, but at least I am surprised to discover this is not the case. Brainless Instagram posts can receive a gazillion responses. How this works I do not know (I'm not on the 'Gram).
I do know that while meritocracies are not common, longevity is equally surprising in it's effectiveness. I qualify for every Senior Discount there is, while I need money far less than most young people. I read a study on famous scientists, authors, and successful business people, and it reported their best work was almost always way behind them; indeed, their credibility was in weirdly inverse proportion to what they actually did.
Thank you for mentioning me in your post - it's sort of relevant because I apply the above principal to myself. I'm often interviewed somewhere, and the stock answer to how I've been successful is, "I haven't died yet". Which is about it. Don't die, keep going, and whether it's because of how SEO works or some other reason, one's life becomes easier or better.
Again, congratulations on the 90 Day Challenge - not only for completing it, but very good thoughts and writing!
Regarding meritocracy, I have zero idea how those Gram posts get gazillions of responses, and often the stupider and more puerile ones seem to get the most traction. I have never mastered social media generally, and have the sense that those who rack up the hits are paying somehow, but who knows?
I've been pondering formats non-digital formats and re-localizing readership. Social media has made it seem like everyone must have huge, international audiences, but ultimately having a voice in one's community has far more practical value.
What I realized years ago whilst keeping a newsletter for my rinky dink startup is the main beneficiary of my writing is me. Through the act of writing, researching, and, above all, thinking, I keep expanding and clarifying my worldview. I've never made much money from writing directly, but writing has always made me more valuable in the grand sense of the word.
Right! Writing remains very respected and valuable, even as the profession itself seems to be losing monetary value. Here's a fun thought to consider: Is is possible that the same percentage of college educated liberals make a living writing as the percentage of ghetto kids who make it to the NBA? 🤪
Fun thought = depressing thought. NBA, NFL, etc. were always long-shots, but writing, in various capacities, was once seen as a viable career path. I suspect Chat GPT will take away a good chunk of the shitty, low-paying writing jobs--copy writing, blogging, technical writing--that still exist.
Thanks for all of the above. Regarding "grasping for topics," while it may not have appeared that way, I was indeed grasping many days. That said, grasping for meaning--creating alternative narratives to the dominant narratives of the day, ones that can send one the expressway to nihilism--was the point of the 90-and-90 exercise. In other words, a certain level of grasping (read: effort) for meaning is a worthwhile pursuit in the same way grasping for faster splits is. The final result, I find, is less important than the exertion of consistent effort---a condition that organically produces results.
CONGRATULATIONS! Maybe to some people it's easy, but to me 90 days of writing unique and thoughtful content, often including research, is extremely impressive. Your effort inspired me to consider doing it sometime (note my lack of commitment). My main commitment now seems to be doing what feels good in a deeper and maybe more sustainable sense, although distinguishing that from just being old and lazy is hazy.
I also noticed the paucity of comments on this platform (I presume I'm not the only person reading it), but that's how it goes in today's media world - attention received seems to be entirely unrelated to the quality of content given. One always presumes one lives in a meritocracy, but at least I am surprised to discover this is not the case. Brainless Instagram posts can receive a gazillion responses. How this works I do not know (I'm not on the 'Gram).
I do know that while meritocracies are not common, longevity is equally surprising in it's effectiveness. I qualify for every Senior Discount there is, while I need money far less than most young people. I read a study on famous scientists, authors, and successful business people, and it reported their best work was almost always way behind them; indeed, their credibility was in weirdly inverse proportion to what they actually did.
Thank you for mentioning me in your post - it's sort of relevant because I apply the above principal to myself. I'm often interviewed somewhere, and the stock answer to how I've been successful is, "I haven't died yet". Which is about it. Don't die, keep going, and whether it's because of how SEO works or some other reason, one's life becomes easier or better.
Again, congratulations on the 90 Day Challenge - not only for completing it, but very good thoughts and writing!
Thanks for reading!
Regarding meritocracy, I have zero idea how those Gram posts get gazillions of responses, and often the stupider and more puerile ones seem to get the most traction. I have never mastered social media generally, and have the sense that those who rack up the hits are paying somehow, but who knows?
I've been pondering formats non-digital formats and re-localizing readership. Social media has made it seem like everyone must have huge, international audiences, but ultimately having a voice in one's community has far more practical value.
What I realized years ago whilst keeping a newsletter for my rinky dink startup is the main beneficiary of my writing is me. Through the act of writing, researching, and, above all, thinking, I keep expanding and clarifying my worldview. I've never made much money from writing directly, but writing has always made me more valuable in the grand sense of the word.
Right! Writing remains very respected and valuable, even as the profession itself seems to be losing monetary value. Here's a fun thought to consider: Is is possible that the same percentage of college educated liberals make a living writing as the percentage of ghetto kids who make it to the NBA? 🤪
Fun thought = depressing thought. NBA, NFL, etc. were always long-shots, but writing, in various capacities, was once seen as a viable career path. I suspect Chat GPT will take away a good chunk of the shitty, low-paying writing jobs--copy writing, blogging, technical writing--that still exist.
Thanks for all of the above. Regarding "grasping for topics," while it may not have appeared that way, I was indeed grasping many days. That said, grasping for meaning--creating alternative narratives to the dominant narratives of the day, ones that can send one the expressway to nihilism--was the point of the 90-and-90 exercise. In other words, a certain level of grasping (read: effort) for meaning is a worthwhile pursuit in the same way grasping for faster splits is. The final result, I find, is less important than the exertion of consistent effort---a condition that organically produces results.