The Ways of the Gods
Stop following the mob. Prepare the way.
“What we want are unpractical people who see beyond the moment, and think beyond the day. Those who try to lead the people can only do so by following the mob. It is through the voice of one crying in the wilderness that the ways of the gods must be prepared.” — Oscar Wilde
Stop following the mob.
Forge your own path.
And prepare the way for others.
You must be different. You must walk alone through uncharted lands. You must reject the conformity of the masses. You must risk contempt, ridicule and indifference. And through it all, you must endure. The future of humanity requires this of you.
People resist what is unfamiliar. They favor practical, conventional solutions. New ways are always met with distrust at first. And once the new ways become popular, people claim them as their own. They attempt to lead the day. You must lead beyond.
My technology career is replete with new ways. Here are just a few of hundreds:
Object-oriented and functional over procedural
Service oriented architectures over monoliths
Cloud services over traditional data centers
Event sourcing over traditional databases
Serverless computing over servers
I have always been an early adopter and an innovator of new technology...not for the luster but for the good I accomplished and the competitive advantage I derived.
My new creator economy career is no different:
Action and experimentation over detailed planning
Unbounded creativity over niching down (at first)
Linked note-making over traditional notes
Falling down often over standing upright
Discomfort over comfort for growth
I continue to be an early adopter and refuse to follow conventional wisdom. I don’t travel the worn path. I look for the barely discernible one into the unknown. And when no path is visible, I create my own without permission.
I cry out in the wilderness of the new and unfamiliar.
I don’t attempt to lead the mob.
I prepare the way.
You must do the same.
🤔 Food for Thought:
What does being a creator mean to you?
Do you follow the mob or prepare the way?
How have you adopted or created new ways?
⚙️ One Small Step:
The next time you are swept up in the rip current of the mob, take a moment to consider an alternate path. Only then will you see what is missed by others. Popular ways are not always to be avoided, but the path of the creator lies elsewhere.