Gotta Start Somewhere

Posted: June 27, 2022

I don't know how to make this into a story . . . yet.

A good story is like a movie, it paints a picture. If I made a movie about my life, a lot of that movie would be scenes of me watching Youtube. That doesn't sound very interesting. Nonetheless, I am watching a video of a graffiti artist on YouTube talking about the time and energy that he puts into his craft. He's spent 10 years understanding the basics. Not fancy. Not complicated. Basics. 10 years.

I hear that and think, “Man, I don't think I've done anything for 10 years!”

I spend some time thinking about that and true to form I overanalyze. I think about it. I think a lot. Yes. ;-) I've over-thought about things my entire life. I'm a thinker. I think deeply about stuff. All kinds of stuff. That's what I am do. I'm pretty damn good thinker.

Anyway. There are things that I am. I am a parent. I am married. What I am and what i do are not the same. This is about dedicating time and energy to an activity, a craft, or skill. Well, I've worked. Actually, I have added to my knowledge related to work consistently for over 10 years. Try 20. I’ve dedicated myself to a serious study of business. What I've done in business has changed over the years. That ability to adapt and change quickly, learn new technologies as I implement them, pays dividends. I can innovate. Stay fresh. Stay new.

It takes longer than it should but after some time it hits me. Obviously. Data is my bread and butter. My medium isn't a marker, pen, or paint. Data is my medium. Analysis is my craft. I’ve been doing that forever. That's my thing. That's what I've the last 20 years doing. That is what I will do for the next 20 years.

Now the flip side of the same question, “What should I invest my next 10 years doing? If I am spending the next 10 years developing a skil, day in and day out, what skill would that be? What do I want that to be?

Storytelling. I want to be a storyteller. I want to tell stories. I realize I’m not great at it. I'm really good at thinking. I can talk alot. I'm really good at boring people as I talk. At least I recognize that. This isn’t a story, I can see that. I can see the holes and the warts. Gotta start somewhere. It’s a start.