Tuesday, April 08, 2003
mamamusings writes:
April 08, 2003
living on the edge(s)
A few months ago, I posted about what felt to me like my lack of “original thought” in my blogging. Sébastien Paquet posted a lovely response that cheered me immensely:
This is a core problem of being an “eyes-wide-open librarian”. You have such a wide view of things that you inevitable become aware of others’ ideas that are similar to yours.
Most people focus more narrowly on what they do; as a result they aren’t aware that they are reinventing the wheel. Fortunately for them, it often turns out that the people who review their work aren’t either.
Truth be told, there aren’t that many good, original ideas around, but many people would rather believe it were so.
Good ideas need amplification, explanation, and new angles from other people. How I wish that one could get credit for such creative work.
I thought of this again last night as I was mulling over an e-mail exchange I’d had with Kevin Werbach. I’d sent him mail after posting my extended rant, and he’d sent back a very nice reply in which he asked me to tell him what I might bring to the table.
Now, this is where all the interesting defensive mechanisms in my brain start to kick in. If I put everything into that response, talk about my passions and interests and why I think what I have to say matters, there’s far more risk. Because then if the answer is “thanks, but no thanks,” it’s a rejection of true self. Much easier, then, to toss off a quick laundry list of experience and interest, and try to feel nonchalant about it. That way if it doesn’t fly, I can always say “well, it’s not like I really tried.” I know this is one of my most problematic personality traits (and, alas, it’s one I see echoed in my oldest son, who is more like me than I ever imagined a person could be). You miss out on a lot if you’re not willing to take those kinds of risks—risks that you might not be the best at something, might not get picked, might not get praised.
April 08, 2003
living on the edge(s)
A few months ago, I posted about what felt to me like my lack of “original thought” in my blogging. Sébastien Paquet posted a lovely response that cheered me immensely:
This is a core problem of being an “eyes-wide-open librarian”. You have such a wide view of things that you inevitable become aware of others’ ideas that are similar to yours.
Most people focus more narrowly on what they do; as a result they aren’t aware that they are reinventing the wheel. Fortunately for them, it often turns out that the people who review their work aren’t either.
Truth be told, there aren’t that many good, original ideas around, but many people would rather believe it were so.
Good ideas need amplification, explanation, and new angles from other people. How I wish that one could get credit for such creative work.
I thought of this again last night as I was mulling over an e-mail exchange I’d had with Kevin Werbach. I’d sent him mail after posting my extended rant, and he’d sent back a very nice reply in which he asked me to tell him what I might bring to the table.
Now, this is where all the interesting defensive mechanisms in my brain start to kick in. If I put everything into that response, talk about my passions and interests and why I think what I have to say matters, there’s far more risk. Because then if the answer is “thanks, but no thanks,” it’s a rejection of true self. Much easier, then, to toss off a quick laundry list of experience and interest, and try to feel nonchalant about it. That way if it doesn’t fly, I can always say “well, it’s not like I really tried.” I know this is one of my most problematic personality traits (and, alas, it’s one I see echoed in my oldest son, who is more like me than I ever imagined a person could be). You miss out on a lot if you’re not willing to take those kinds of risks—risks that you might not be the best at something, might not get picked, might not get praised.
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