Blogging has been around as long as the internet has been operational and functional, which means there are blogs out there that are older than I am (30 btw). I’m just now starting a blog. I am a 30 year old white dude that’s decided to start a blog and is playing catch up with those creators that have been around for years and years (some have been up and running for literally decades).

It feels as though anything I do, unless I invent the next piece of tech that’s got widespread applications like the smartphone, I’m not doing anything original. Never mind that dwelling on that can quickly take the jam out of a donut, but the fact of the matter is that I am showing up late in the game.

As a guy that grew up in the 90’s, I’m okay with where I’m at, my relationship to creating things is fine. I’m nothing special and I have nothing special to offer very many people. But my story and my journey can be told to inspire other’s to take their first step. Or I can use this as my own beacon to attract others that are “ahead of me” in their writing career to ask for advice and expand my circle of mentors.

The benefits of starting a little late are plentiful.

• Others have already paved the way for the medium being accepted and widely adopted.
• There are so many experts that they’re giving away their valuable lessons for free!
• Blogging and writing online has so many iterations it is a likelihood that you’re following in someone’s footsteps.
• Growing pains are well documented by those that have experienced them. So you will not only have the ability to learn from their mistakes, but you can ask for their advice if you encounter your own.

What I’m getting at is that you shouldn’t be afraid of being another fish in the big pond. You want to have the approach of seeing all those fish and figuring out how you can learn from them. In a sense you want to be selfish. Taking the information that they’re providing through their own lessons and experiences they’ve written about. If you need to, take notes. On the other hand, you need to be as generous as humanly possible. Because sharing your own experiences is the only value you blog can provide.