Becky, you’re like a university rower. You show up every morning and put in the reps, always looking to improve and always there to help others get better with you. As readers, we’re the coxswain in your crew boat. You can’t always see where you’re headed or how far you’ve come, but we can see what progress your strokes are making and how beautifully you glide along the river. “Hold it steady!”
Sometimes I feel the same, then I realized it is different each time.
In late 2020, I was late to the online writing game but still earlier than most who got on because of COVID. I was lucky to capitalize on it.
But yes, when it comes to AI and stuff, I feel like I'm so behind too.
It almost feels like we have to be quick to capture attention (super advantage as an early mover), but we don't need to be quick in mastering your thing (time brings mastery). Complicated I know.
During COVID, my head was in the sand internet-wise because I was trying to make a career. Even though I was writing online for others, I just wasn't paying attention.
There's this weird balance needed between paying attention to trends and then acting on them. I've lately switched off most podcasts because of too much consuming and too little acting.
About seeing others win: I also think there is an outlier bias when we see others and think 'oh, maybe I could have been them by now'.
We see the outliers because they get the pedestal effect of winning in their game.
This resonates! I constantly feel like I'm behind friends and peers who are better at catching the waves.
There's another version of this I experience, which is actually being there at the right time but failing to make the most of it: I started a personal website in around 2008 but didn't stick with it because there was no real sense of community like there is now.
basically, without knowing what's going to happen, what are choices I can make in general that will lead to good outcomes regardless of what happens? This is where investing in broad skills, writing a lot, making friends, playing with new tech, being curious and having fun experimenting are all good and will make catching the next wave much more likely
From someone who is always feels like she is late to the party, I hear you!
Few of us get to be in at the start, more of us are early adopters. But there is that whole "rest of the curve" that we are really ahead of!
And remember, sometimes you can be so early to a trend that others do not yet appreciate it. I found it funny that Ethereum is just getting appreciated for the spectacular technology it is 10 years after its launch!
Becky, you’re like a university rower. You show up every morning and put in the reps, always looking to improve and always there to help others get better with you. As readers, we’re the coxswain in your crew boat. You can’t always see where you’re headed or how far you’ve come, but we can see what progress your strokes are making and how beautifully you glide along the river. “Hold it steady!”
that's really kind of you to say Simon, thank you so much! Needed this 💙
Sometimes I feel the same, then I realized it is different each time.
In late 2020, I was late to the online writing game but still earlier than most who got on because of COVID. I was lucky to capitalize on it.
But yes, when it comes to AI and stuff, I feel like I'm so behind too.
It almost feels like we have to be quick to capture attention (super advantage as an early mover), but we don't need to be quick in mastering your thing (time brings mastery). Complicated I know.
that's a nice way to think about the two speeds
Even Prof Ethan Mollick says it's impossible to keep up, so that gives the rest of us a sigh of relief
Indeed things are still early and generative AI has so many possibilities, even if no new features shipped (another Mollick quote)
we're still early!
Same feeling.
During COVID, my head was in the sand internet-wise because I was trying to make a career. Even though I was writing online for others, I just wasn't paying attention.
There's this weird balance needed between paying attention to trends and then acting on them. I've lately switched off most podcasts because of too much consuming and too little acting.
About seeing others win: I also think there is an outlier bias when we see others and think 'oh, maybe I could have been them by now'.
We see the outliers because they get the pedestal effect of winning in their game.
In the process, we miss out on:
1. Failed (re)tries
2. Unfair advantages being leveraged
3. Luck
https://kk.org/thetechnium/you-are-not-late/
Btw, a good companion piece. People were feeling late in 2014 too haha
damn people really do be always late!
This resonates! I constantly feel like I'm behind friends and peers who are better at catching the waves.
There's another version of this I experience, which is actually being there at the right time but failing to make the most of it: I started a personal website in around 2008 but didn't stick with it because there was no real sense of community like there is now.
I like to lean on "conditions-consequences" thinking as described by my friend Tasshin here: https://tasshin.com/blog/means-ends-conditions-consequences-and-the-game-of-risk/
basically, without knowing what's going to happen, what are choices I can make in general that will lead to good outcomes regardless of what happens? This is where investing in broad skills, writing a lot, making friends, playing with new tech, being curious and having fun experimenting are all good and will make catching the next wave much more likely
omg even YOU feel late! 🤯
love this concept of conditions-consequences. being curious + having fun experimenting seems like the way to go!
Thank you for this post. It resonates with me, I am somewhat on a similar journey at the moment .
hope this makes you feel less lonely! (it made me feel that at least)
From someone who is always feels like she is late to the party, I hear you!
Few of us get to be in at the start, more of us are early adopters. But there is that whole "rest of the curve" that we are really ahead of!
And remember, sometimes you can be so early to a trend that others do not yet appreciate it. I found it funny that Ethereum is just getting appreciated for the spectacular technology it is 10 years after its launch!