I try to maintain some consistency with the look and feel of this blog. For example, when I’m posting something from The Daily Stoic, I’ll pull up previous posts from that book so I can keep the same format. However, I try not to be a slave to this mentality; some variance is fine with me as long as I clearly express my ideas. That’s why I’m not super concerned if some of the smaller details change from one post to the next.
For at least the past few years, I’ve cared more about the message than the messenger or the medium. There are many wonderful speakers who have used their extensive vocabularies, perfect enunciation, and beautiful voices to deliver exciting, encouraging, and motivating speeches without ever missing a beat or stumbling over a word. Some of them, however, were all about style and had little to no substance. Their speeches are remembered more for their appealing arrangement than for their message. Given the choice between listening to a speech that sounds good but feels empty and a speech that’s full of meaning even if the presentation is lacking, I’d gladly take the latter option.
I’m perfectly willing to read something that has a lot of typos, watch a low-quality video, and listen to people who have great things to say even if they’re not the best speakers. Likewise, while I always do my best to make my posts look good and contain as few errors as possible, I’d rather focus on crafting a clear, relatable message that people enjoy reading than get so hung up on the presentation that I lose sight of what I’m trying to say.
Even though I know that some people would frown upon certain aspects of my writing and that this isn’t the ideal theme for a blog, I don’t worry about either of those things. I’ve developed a writing style that fits me well and lets me clearly communicate my ideas and chosen an appearance for this blog that I really like and works well enough. I don’t make any money off this blog and I don’t intend to do so, so having a certain appearance isn’t crucial. I blog because I enjoy it, it’s a great way to get my thoughts out there, and it helps me and several people who’ve talked to me about it on numerous occasions. As a recovering perfectionist, getting used to things being “good enough” rather than perfect has been difficult, but blogging has made it easier. Doing my best to put out quality work always makes me feel good, and that’s good enough for me.