The Builder’s High

This New Year, I wish you more blank slates. May you have more blank white pages sitting in front you with your favorite pen nearby and at the ready. May you have blank screens in your code editor with your absolutely favorite color syntax highlighting. May your garage work table be empty save for a single large piece of reclaimed redwood and a saw.

Turn off those notifications, turn your phone over, turn on your favorite music, stare at your blank slate and consider what you might build. In that moment of consideration, you’re making an important decision: create or consume? The things we’re giving to the future are feeling increasingly unintentional and irrelevant. They are half-considered thoughts of others. When you choose to create, you’re bucking the trend because you’re choosing to take the time to build.

There is so much truth in this post. I have personally pretty much given up on Facebook because it’s just mindless chatter and what I consider dumb inspirational photos posted in my stream. Twitter is where I follow people more like myself and that share more of my interests.

Being a creator is so much more important to me than being a consumer. I would rather leave something worthwhile behind than a mindless status update.