Editorial: You’re Only As Good As Your Last Success

I’ve always wondered about the truth of this euphemism.  Certainly, we’re living in a time that alludes to the necessity of being in a state of constant undertaking.  Does this mean that our prior successes, our past experiences, are in danger of being forgotten so easily?  If everything we did wasn’t held in such permanence, I’d be willing to bet that not many people would remember much of what we accomplish at all.  I have a feeling it’s a product that stems from the instant gratification we’ve come to expect out of the modern world.  I’ll call it the, “What’s next?” mentality.  If we commit to something we love, and prove our worth in whatever it is we’re working towards, how soon will that worth be forgotten if left in a state of idleness?  What frequency of action need there be to maintain an integrity for us, and at what point does this frequency beat out value?

This saying has got me rethinking some personal opinions that I’ve been fighting recently; however, for the sake of appropriateness, I’ll try to keep my ramblings website related (doesn’t help that I’ve worked in an industry for the past 9 years that drills on daily performance metrics).  My thoughts though?  If what we’re working for has significance to us, it will be remembered by those who share the same sentiments.

My appreciation for quality over quantity has been growing quite rapidly. We seem to be living in a time where more and more consumers are choosing popularity over meaning; affiliation over significance. In the end what is it that you’re buying into? Surely, a name built without a foundation can never hold long-term value. So what is this unremitting need to buy into things that hold no underlying connotations? They exist solely to exist and, to me, that has never been conducive to defining futures. To move forward we must have purpose; real purpose.  A mutual benefit.  It’s my belief, that a true foundation is not something that can be lost over idleness for a small period of time, or a moment of lapse.  People will look back on a strong foundation, and remember how it was built, and why it was built.

I’ve been busy this past year, and when I’m busy I typically don’t have time to post content or travel to Japan to curate new subject matter. In the past when this happened, I would often scour my archives for something to post just for the sake of posting (to my credit I have hundreds of gigs of photos so it was never repeat content). It was a numbers thing for me; I had to post a certain amount of times per week to keep viewership up. While that is true, I’ve begun to ask myself why I focused so much on the numbers – why I focused so much on quantity. When I did, the quality of post was not there. Unique visitors were consistent, but I was never really satisfied myself with these posts. They often felt so…I don’t know, empty. There’s something about the excessive speed of today’s expectations that doesn’t sit very well with me. To keep up with demand we’re required to churn out ideas and content, but invention and quality take time. I much rather build at my own pace. The subjects I publish are timeless, so they deserve a timeless quality (to the extent that my ability can provide them, anyway).  The same concept can fold over into relationships, clients, and personal endeavors.  It’s not always necessarily the amount of time you spend with any one person, if that’s limited, then it’s how you show them what that time means to you that matters.

So, I’ve taken a step back. On one of the not-so-recent Podcasts, I mentioned the importance of breaking routine. I want to break the monotony of websites that post for the sake of posting.  There are far too many websites now to try and appeal to a mass audience.  Distancing myself from the site a bit the past few months has actually been kind of liberating. It’s given me a chance to find a better balance in life, and with balance comes tranquility, and you really can’t understand the importance of tranquility until you’ve lost it.  Extremes are easy; balance is difficult.  I’ve come to an agreeance with myself that I rather work on a handful of large, meaningful projects throughout the year, than fill the site with fluff. Putting more time into features and articles to somewhat realign the site to feel more magazine like, and less blog like. And to be honest, I think that’s pretty magnanimous in this day. I’m not in it to prove anything, I’ve moved past the quantity. I’ve realized that it actually gives me peace of mind to deliver quality; especially knowing that there are entities out there that literally provide nothing more than a name.

There’s a tier of individuals, like-minded, that will understand.  As the year draws to a close, we’re inclined to look back at what we’ve accomplished.  Millions of people, from hundreds of countries have visited this website in the past 12 months.  I don’t expect every one of them to remember what they read, or draw on the pictures they viewed.  How could I?  I can, however, work towards creating something that will make an impact on the aforementioned individuals; but it may come slowly.

I’m looking forward to the new 2016 Time Attack season in Japan, and the opportunity for further growth into this particular niche.  Thank you for your support.