5 ms·
> I used to be absolutely furious about being the best. I found out that just being better than yourself takes you a long long way. I have never competed, but
by bayindirh 3y ago
> I used to be absolutely furious about being the best.
I found out that just being better than yourself takes you a long long way.
I have never competed, but just did my thing. Then found out that I've already know more and ahead of many people I'm inspired by.
Yet, this was not my aim, and still is not. I'm just one of the so-called dark developers. I just do my thing, try to do it better every time, and don't care about hall of fame of anything casual or serious.
- hiAndrewQuinn 3y agoI recently put a little modal on my phone that just says "Compete against yourself" every 30 minutes, and I'm finding it remarkably helpful at focusing my efforts back to what I want to see in the world. I like the mindset of trying to be just a little better than you were, every day. It feels... correctly scaled, somehow.
- toastedwedge 3y agoWhat does it mean in this context to compete against yourself? Anything at immediately at hand or on the todo list? Or is it just a reminder to get something done you thought of doing but normally wouldn't otherwise?
- bayindirh 3y agoIt means "It doesn't matter what other people do, are doing, or have achieved". In other words, do not compare yourself to others. Do what you're doing, a little better this time, then GOTO 10.
- carlivar 3y agoI've become very fond of the phrase "comparison is the thief of joy" lately. This seems like a version of that. Keep your scope local only.
- kayodelycaon 3y agoI like it phrased this way: "There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self."
- boringg 3y agoGreat for the upside of growth - how do you change it for when you start to age and skills erode a little bit. That would be deeply frustrating. Need to change the model at that point! What to though?
- smackeyacky 3y agoYour skills don't age like your physical body does.
- Aeolun 3y agoMy existing skills don’t, but learning new ones sure takes more effort.
- bregma 3y agoIt's not the effort of learning, it's the effort of tolerating all the know-it-all newbies that increases.
- KETHERCORTEX 3y agoYou are saying it like skills aren't contained in that physical body.
- smackeyacky 3y agoYou can program using a blow stick if you have to. Its a mental ability not a physical one. Unless you get dementia you could do it forever
- oaktowner 3y agoThat is true, but the rapid change in the tech industry makes "skills" mean something different than it would in, say, woodworking. Once you learn woodwoorking, you're going to be good at it (until you lose strength, flexibility in your fingers, etc). In our industry, to 'stay at the same place,' you continually have to learn new technologies, new concepts, etc.
- enlyth 3y agoYou willingly turned on a notification every 30 minutes that tells you to compete against yourself? I cannot tell if this is parody or just Peak HN
- kayodelycaon 3y agoI'd go with Peak HN. Everyone has their quirks. I've got my computer speaking the time every 15 minutes and everyone I know would be driven absolutely insane by that. It helps me keep track of time. Some people put a postit on their mirror or laptop screen.
- bayindirh 3y agoThis is a comic I love (titled: Weird): https://viruscomix.com/page500.html https://viruscomix.com/page500.html I store a copy in my "life changing comics" folder.
- kayodelycaon 3y agoOoooo... a peanut butter banana bacon sandwich sounds awesome.
- toomuchtodo 3y agoHighly recommend.
- HankB99 3y agoI've done a PBBJ (peanut butter bacon jelly) but never a PBBB. Might need to try it.
- clementime 3y agoThis is a great comic. Understanding and appreciating other people's differences goes a long way. So much harm comes from being fearful or judgemental of people who are different. Now I'm curious - what else is in your "life changing comics" folder?
- bandyaboot 3y agoIf you find yourself becoming desensitized to the notifications on your phone, I suggest training a parrot to stand on your shoulder to liven it up. Great for parties too.
- hsavit1 3y agoi suggest a new push notification on your phone that says "be funnier" - all the top comedians do it
- pmontra 3y agoThat is coincidentally similar to a pomodoro sprint: 25 minutes of work (compete with yourself) and 5 of something else.
- majjam 3y agoWould you mind expanding on what you mean by ‘dark developer’? I could guess from context but Id appreciate your definition if you dont mind.
- plaugg 3y ago90% sure it's "dark matter developers" as in "they never write blogs, they don't go to user groups, they don't tweet or facebook, and you don't often see them at large conferences." - https://www.hanselman.com/blog/dark-matter-developers-the-unseen-99 https://www.hanselman.com/blog/dark-matter-developers-the-un...
- bayindirh 3y agoYeah, that's true. I have a blog, and share the code & docs I write for myself, but my blog is not about programming, and the docs are more like cheat sheets for general public. Well, the code is just GPLv3 licensed small tools which I develop according to my own needs. Nothing impressive. I don't use Twitter, Facebook and Reddit anymore. I just converse here, and with a Discord server I really like.
- derealized 3y ago> I found out that just being better than yourself takes you a long long way. That resonates with me. There is a saying where I'm from that says "most people are just kicking dirt" that basically means people are doing the bare minimum or don't care at all, and if you just do your thing and really care about your stuff, you're already ahead of the majority. Being anxious all the time, I use that saying in the opposite way though: just relax and do your thing... you don't need to worry about not having a job, all those other people are barely doing anything and you can't be the best at everytime. Just do your thing are relax.
- ryneandal 3y ago> I found out that just being better than yourself takes you a long long way. I usually hold vast disdain for the "self-help" genre of books, but after a recommendation from someone whose opinion I value greatly, I read Atomic Habits by James Clear. I've never found myself agreeing with and finding revelations from such seemingly mundane and obvious statements. Sometimes seeing a statement or opinion you take for granted can make you cognizant of that point. I've since tried to adopt such "agile" methodologies in personal improvement. Clear says 1% improvement each day always sounds attainable, and such iterative improvements add up.