I’m Guilty of Momentary Vision Loss

Summary: I created this blog, chickened out shortly thereafter, and have finally developed the wherewithal to write my first post.

“And so begins the journey.” How’s that for the first sentence of the first post? A quick glance at my About page should fill you in on the what and why of this blog (if not, comments are nice). I’ve been sitting on this blog for over a month now, as the edit date on my About page should attest, and the reason I have only begun to produce some content is simple: I’m a victim of self-inflicted momentary vision loss. Before you escape to WebMD, I’m waxing philosophical and am referring to the loss of internal vision that prompted my desire to start up the Idea Maven blog in the first place. I’m my humbly clueless opinion, MVL is a malady that claims more creative moments from people than anyone would like to admit.

When was the last time you wanted to do something, thought about it, started out on the path, and decided to back track all in the same day? That was my January 22nd, 2008. A brisk, cool day outside, I was reading Jeremy Horn’s Product Guy blog from the comfort of my work notebook during lunch when the thought hit me like a bolt of lightning. “It’s time to create something, and give back to the web community that has give me so much.” More or less. In a few moments it was finished; I had created the Idea Maven, edited the About page, and then felt a sense of overwhelming dread. I realized at that moment, as I stared at the stub post created by WordPress, that this blog would be my personal space to dream big, clarify my thoughts, and embrace the community beyond my network of “real” friends and family. So, with that in mind, I closed Firefox and pushed away from my desk. I’ve only now developed the guts to start writing.

Why? Simple. The Idea Maven is who I want to become, not necessarily who I am now. While that may seem a bit transparent for a blog that will incorporate posts that present the real-world benefits of a better-connected social web, I’m admitting to you and myself right now that I’m no expert. What I lack in experience now I will substitute for a technologist’s zeal (hmm… writing that down as a future post title), a willingness to learn, and a commitment to resilience in accepting well-intentioned criticism.

But for many, that won’t be enough, which is the reason I’ve hesitated to officially start the blog. I’m an avid Twitter fan, so as a follower of Stanislav Shalunov, this tweet hit me between the eyes:

“Blogs are so clueless because people like to write about what they are figuring out, not about what they already know…”

He’s right. I admit my cluelessness and the fact that I’m writing about stuff I’m still figuring out. How can I call myself “The Idea Maven” (Maven: one who is experienced or knowledgeable) when I’m more actively involved in the process of building my own experience/knowledge base than spreading experience/knowledge around? For me, though, that’s the magic blend offered by RSS feeds and blogs. You don’t have to wait for me to get my act together, craft a strong network of contacts who validate that I have my act together, and then publish the take-away thoughts of my act as a book so you can pick it up at Borders. While I hope to season well with age, I’m not in the position to offer timeless truths just yet, and I’m honest enough to admit it. Instead, you can join me on the learning experience. Whether I rise or fall, succeed or fail, win or lose, I will always be learning and growing in the process.

Almost done for now. My goal is eight-hundred words for the post, and I’m almost there. My normal method for archiving interesting content is to give it a thumbs up on Stumble Upon, which adds it to my list of favorites on SU, and then bookmark it using Foxmarks so I can get back to it from any of my computers. Now, in addition to those two steps, I’ll start blogging on the items that catch my eye and discover my own voice in the process. I challenge anyone who reads this post to take a hard look at what you want to do versus what you’re doing, cut out the junk, and dig your heels in deep on whatever it is that lights your fire. Maybe a blog of your own, a software idea, business concept, or whatever leaves you happier than you were before the fact. Regardless of the outcome, you’ll relish the pursuit.

Next up: I want to write about what happens when Cognitive Psychology and the Social Web go out for a date. The chemistry is worth writing about.