Brent Simmons’ recent post, How to Be Wrong on the Internet, got me thinking about why I don’t write or share as much as I should.

Over a decade ago, I was able to backpack around Eastern China primarily because of three friends I met through blogging. Monsoons, nightclubs, falling-outs and food poisoning - it was a pretty cool adventure for a 20 year old.

I wasn’t a particularly great writer or artist. Nothing I ever published went beyond a small circle of readers I considered confidantes. But I put myself out there and things seemed to work out.

I stopped for lots of reasons, probably. If I’m being honest, I can’t really recall.

But somewhere along the way I started being overly self-critical, believing that anything I put out had to be correct and perfect.

I prefer the way Brent thinks about it:

I’m constantly wrong on the internet. Here’s how I think about it:

Blogging is, for me, part of the process of getting to the truth.

Everything is provisional — it’s what I think now, and I might change my mind in a year. Or in a day. Or in a minute, when somebody posts (or tweets) more or better information or has a solid argument.