Tuesday Thoughts: HONY & The Art of Working

Tonight, I was privileged with being able to listen to a talk at school given by Brandon Stanton. If you aren't a millennial, he's the creator of Humans of New York- a well known blog capturing the lives of everyday New Yorkers. The blog has 22 million + followers and has featured everyone from a Bodega employee to President Obama. The idea is genius, and Stanton is able to do what he loves every day- going out with a camera, talking to strangers and sharing their stories with the world. 


He stated that the blog he started when he first moved to the city was nothing like what he has created now, through trial and error, experience and evolution. He talked about how continuing to put in work is the way the idea comes. That living a fulfilling life is about loving what you do and wanting to do it every day of your life. 

These words really spoke to me, at a time when I (and many fellow students) probably needed to hear it the most. We want the great idea, the instant success. Overthinking and waiting for the perfect moment (just like worrying) doesn't help solve the problem. Waiting for the perfect day to ride a bike or get the million dollar idea is a myth. (Except for maybe J.K. Rowling, but I am sure that she still went through millions of bad ideas and drafts before penning The Philosopher's Stone.) This especially rang true in my own work, as I have begun the truly painful task of editing my old posts. They are such a time capsule, and through I would not call this blog my "million dollar idea," it is crazy to think how much my own skills have improved. I was naive and took the plunge. As millennials, we are so conditioned to be the best and not risk the fear of failure. Sometimes, you just have to take the plunge- knowing that you might fail, look stupid trying, but knowing that by doing so, getting one step closer to the next big thing. {Image one // two}