Writer, Agilist, Elder Geek
You've noticed one of the things I do here is collect useful resources for you, our loyal readers. Heck, I do it for our disloyal readers too (but seriously, come by more guys).
This also means that I encounter what I've christened "The Blog Boneyard".
Are you being properly annoyed?
Oh, you may be annoyed right now. You may be annoyed at plenty of things. If you're not annoyed, I can point out many reasons to be (hint: start watching the news).
I'm talking proper annoyment. I'm talking to annoyment that you may need to get you moving. I'm talking that subtle, effective discomfort that gets you off your backside and working on your life and career and all that matters.
If you don't have that proper annoyance, maybe it's time to make sure you have a Designated Annoying Friend.
It's something I hear talked about every now and then in geek and fan circles: the person who made it who looks down on their past. They deny they wrote fanfic, try to forget their earlier artistic efforts, don't acknowledge their roots. The complains usually involve the person in question looking down on people who do the very things they did to launch their careers; writing fanfic or for free, the oddball cosplay outfits, the years of grinding out boring web code.
My guess is you're nodding as you hear this.
I'd like to note not only are people who act like this arrogant, I think they're missing the point of doing what you love: it's not climbing up the mountain of success, it's about descending into what you truly love and embracing it.