Producing vs Consuming
It’s easier than ever to get distracted. It’s harder than ever to escape it. We are bombarded by messages in every direction — in mailboxes, on billboards, on broadcasts, on our screens. We are exhorted to listen, to buy, to subscribe to make our lives easier.
We are tempted to consume more and more. Subscribe now, turn on notifications, join our mailing list are common pleas. We want to keep up, to be educated, to be in the know. In doing so, we ignore our own voices and sublimate ourselves in that pursuit. The truth is that there will always be something new to learn, to study, to master. There will always be another guru to follow.
Get Chris Barsis’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
After spending the last few mornings in silence, I have come to realize how prevalent these influences are in my own life. It’s astounding how easily we can be conditioned and even manipulated to act a certain way. For example, I observed how I compulsively checked my email for a particular newsletter and felt anxious if I missed the latest issue.
What to do? The solution for me is to apply what I know. Write an article. Create a blog post. Experiment. Build something new. Teach someone what I have learned. Think about how you can package the things you possess at this very moment into a product that someone else can use.
When I produce, I become a creator of things and engage my deeper self. In writing, in playing an instrument, in crafting a presentation I’m building something that I can put my stamp on. It’s mine, it’s unique, I’m proud of it, and it’s very satisfying. It’s the grown up version of Legos! What kid doesn’t get excited opening a box of them? Give yourself permission to be a maker again! If you’re like me, this skill has atrophied to the point it’s almost disappeared. But it’s still there. Flex that muscle! I’m not simply trying to finish a program that someone else designed, I’m actively shaping and creating what is missing in the world. I can address all the flaws that I see and make it my way.
It’s not that consuming is inherently bad. It’s natural to want to learn. But for me, the ratio of creating was seriously out of balance. We should seek to produce first and foremost. Experiential learning is the most effective way to get feedback. When we get stuck, we can listen and try to fill in the gaps. But the posture of moving first has a momentum advantage. Keep moving and good things will happen.
