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by Paul8 5225 days ago
Consider the values that you seem to take personally, the ones that you can't leave alone, even when it seems to make sense to set them aside. What are the things that you can't leave undone, that you can't not do?

Most people have a few closely-held, somewhat abstract values that stay with them even though they may get expressed very differently in various contexts.

Look at Bret Victor - Inventing on Principle (https://vimeo.com/36579366). He's talking about himself and others who eventually got very specific about why things are worth doing, for them, personally. When people understand that, they get very inspired and very productive.

So, why do you value a stable, quality product? And why do you value choosing the right stack? Maybe it's the elegance or power of using the right tool for the job. Or maybe you enjoy understanding technology deeper than the people around you. What other values are persistent for you. Whatever they are, look for more ways to express those values and to share them with the world.

It's sometimes long hard work to learn this about yourself. And as you do learn, you'll know which projects can be satisfying and which to say no to.