Some of the things
Welcome to my substack. Here's what to expect from me today and going forward.
Welcome to my substack.
There’s a lot of advice out there for starting a substack. Tell your audience your personal story, what they can expect from your writing, how often you’ll post, what your plans are for charging. Import your email list, connect to Twitter, tell everyone about it. Be thoughtful. Go big. Swing for the fences.
Don’t expect any of that from me. At least not today. I don’t know have any of those answers yet.
Because the only way I’ll find out what I want to do with a newsletter is by starting one.
Experimentation as a way of life
I learned about safe-to-fail experimentation through the DevOps movement in the context of building enterprise software. It’s a method of creating better software through a series of many small experiments.
But as good as safe-to-fail experiments are in a professional context, they are even better to embrace in your personal life.
Experimentation comes from science. Science is the art of discovering the unknown. The more volatile the future becomes and the more unknowns in our lives, the more valuable science is.
Adopting experimentation in your life means saying “I don’t know.” Often. It means trying things out without knowing what the outcome will be. It means being OK with failure and being wrong.
The more I experiment in life, the happier I’ve become.
Substack as an experiment
I use Twitter for 3 reasons:
Discovery. It’s the best place to learn about all my favorite topics: tech, enterprise software, DevOps, crypto, AI, investing, wellness, mindfulness, science.
Clarify my thinking. The more I tweet about my own personal and professional journey the better my thoughts have evolved and taken shape.
Journaling and bookmarks. I like having a written record of things I’ve found interesting in the past, as if it’s an external hard drive or an old journal to refer back to.
Twitter is great for #1 and #2 but my hypothesis is substack might be better for #3. So, I’m going to start by using it as a place to compile short thoughts and/or lists of links of SOME OF THE THINGS I’m finding interesting.
These days I’ll probably write most about DevOps, my journey starting a technology consulting company, anything in science, crypto, web3, AI that gives me a sense of wonder and awe, maybe a little about finance, women’s empowerment, parenting tweens/teens, and living a balanced life.
Come along for the ride
I don’t know exactly what this newsletter might become over time, but I invite you to subscribe if you’d like to follow along my journey, see some of the things I’m getting into, and grow together. You can also connect with me on Twitter or Farcaster.