My way is just a way

As I alluded in my last reflection, I generally only give advice when specifically asked. This is for many reasons. Quoting from Hunter S. Thompson's Letter on Finding Your Purpose and Living a Meaningful Life,

"To presume to point a man to the right and ultimate goal— to point with a trembling finger in the RIGHT direction is something only a fool would take upon himself."

It is often regarded as a fool's errand because while giving advice, it is so easy to make light of the various occurrences (positive or negative) that have uniquely occured in my life to enable such advice to work for me. What is truth for one may be a complete disaster to another.

Thus, embarking on this content creation journey is an adventure that is both exhilarating yet completely terrifying at the same time. This week, I had a lengthy conversation with a creator who started a podcast dedicated to uncovering helpful tools & strategies that help make your quality of life at work better. The conversation revolved around 3 main questions:

Should we be responsible for how the audience chooses to absorb our content?

If we decide, in hopes of making complex ideas easier to understand, to use analogies from our own lives to explain the point - is it our responsibility if the audience decides to take the analogy as the recipe and follow it to the letter - ignoring the fundamentals and expecting optimal results?

What is the success % we should be aiming for?

Given that we are expressing ourselves publicly in the pursuit of sharing our knowledge, and enabling like-minded individuals to unlock similar or greater benefits from what we share - then are we responsible to ensure that the majority of our audience achieves success?

I personally would not feel satisfied if even 10% of my community were unable to absorb my material to the degree which I think is valuable.

How do we reconcile within ourselves the value exchange?

Value equates to resources, and the big two are time ⌛ and money 💰. Our audience invests in us when they decide to open up an article, video, or support our communities, so how can we make their investment worthwhile? What is the 'guarantee', if any, that we must provide in order to responsibly spend another's resources?

The interesting thing is, I am sure this is not a novel dilemma. I have witnessed countless teachers in my schooling days, who have completely given up on their students, or are vigorously passionate about ensuring every child succeeds, or decides to cut losses early (at the risk of losing a potential prodigy).

I don't have a clear conclusion yet. I think I will always feel guilty whenever I press Publish on any content I put out, but the remarkable trait of humans is that having obstacles makes us stronger. It is because I hold that guilt in my heart, that I am spurred to re-write not once, not twice, but hundreds of times. It pushes to practice my speeches in front of a mirror not for vanity, but for clarity in my delivery. It is so that I can share meaningful content that motivates and inspires.

Additionally, I want to emphasize that my way is just a way. I hope that in presenting concepts and fundamentals that worked for me, I am expanding your worldview to accept different ways of solving a problem - so that you can apply it for yourself in the ways that you know best. My biggest message is that you must know yourself, to know who you can become.

What's amazing about sharing is that it goes two ways. I can deliver content, but you can also deliver it back - in the form of engagement and feedback. Let me know when I have done something wrong - I must know to improve! But also don't be shy to tell me when I've done something right - and why. I trust in all of you to keep me grounded. Thank you for reading.