Greater than 5 minutes, my friend!
Why I’m treating The Open Mic more like an experiment and letting go of all the stress
Yesterday I had… what do you call it? A reality check?
Or more of a realization, really.
I realized that I’ve been stressing out too much.
Waaaaaay too much.
And most of my stress is associated with The Open Mic.
How come?
[clickToTweet tweet=”When you build things and you share them with the world the stress is inevitable.” quote=”When you build things and you share them with the world the stress is inevitable.”]If you’ve built at least one thing in your life, you know what I mean.
I’m talking about all those vicious circles you go through over and over again.
When one moment you think you’re unstoppable and the next moment you feel burned out and completely pathetic.
I always blamed that on my zodiac sign.
As a Gemini I always felt like there’re two personalities living inside of me: an overly positive Dmitry and his evil twin – an overly negative Dmitry.
Most of the time those two are in balance.
But every now and then one beats the crap out of the other.
When the overly positive Dmitry wins – it’s a blessing.
That guy really knows how to get things done.
He has an endless amount of energy and enthusiasm.
But more importantly, he knows how to use it and where to channel it.
But if his evil twin wins that imaginary fist fight and sits on the Iron Throne in my head… my mind will be as good as lost.
Dark thoughts…
Self-pity…
Useless questions…
No wonder that I don’t really like that guy.
Because not only he get in the way of my work, but he also paralyzes me.
When he’s in charge I can’t do shit.
And that’s not good.
But like I’ve said I had a realization.
I realized that the only thing that empowers the evil Dmitry and lets him rule my world is stress.
So I decided to do something about it.
That’s why I’m letting go of all the stress
I will no longer stress out about being a rookie developer. Why do I even stress out about it in the first place? Being a rookie brings the excitement of learning. And I LOVE learning. Besides, I talked to many developers over the past year, and they’re BLOWN AWAY by everything I’ve done here so far.
I will no longer stress out about bugs or problems that some of our members encounter (which doesn’t happen very often, to be honest). What’s the point of stressing out, really? I will just take a deep breath, apologize for that hassle and try to fix it. Without a rush and at my own pace.
I will no longer stress out about the growth or reputation.
I was really stressed out because I couldn’t get the number or sign ups that I wanted, or because that people that I’d hoped would notice The Open Mic and join, never did. I was also stressed out because I thought I might do or say something that the professional translation community wouldn’t like.
The fear of being misunderstood have been paralyzing me for years, but then I realized that when you’re building something, there will always be people who WON’T understand you.
But there also be people who WILL understand and support you.
People who will appreciate everything you do.
I’ll focus on them instead, making sure The Open Mic can help them be better at what they do and achieve their goals.
I will no longer stress out about the lack of activity or interactions.
I will no longer compare The Open Mic to other thriving online communities for translators. I remember I was stressed out because people didn’t use our Social Activity feature or didn’t leave that many comments under our posts.
I just realized that I’m rushing things.
After all it’s the first social network for translators, of course it’ll be scary to use it, especially when you got used to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
So, I don’t want to compare myself to densely populated Facebook groups and forums anymore, I just let The Open Mic grow organically and hope people will give our social features a try.
I will no longer stress out about missing deadlines. In fact, I will no longer set deadlines or put myself under time pressure.
I always felt like if I don’t keep pushing forward (development-wise) I’ll loose momentum.
That is complete bullshit. I can have all the time in the world.
Instead of stressing out about the imaginary lack of time I’d rather prioritize my family and friends instead because they mean the world to me.
I will no longer stress out about money. They come and go. Yes, The Open Mic makes a large dent in my budget and makes me work extra hard, but so what? As long as it brings value to people, I will continue to invest.
But above all things…
…I will treat The Open Mic as an experiment
You know, I’ve always thought about The Open Mic as an idea.
And idea of uniting professional translators and building a community that we all deserve.
But here’s the thing: ideas are dangerous.
Over the course of time they become deeply engraved into your brain.
To the point where you become obsessed with them.
And if your idea starts to fail or even crumble a little bit, it can result into a serious brain damage.
I don’t need this.
That’s why instead of being obsessed with “shaping the future of our profession” or building “the most inspiring community for translators” I’d rather put on my safety goggles and use the rational part of my brain.
The benefit of that part of my brain is that it’s absolutely fearless and it couldn’t care less about failures.
It can even use failures to it’s own advantage, which will prove useful in the long run.
What does all of that mean for the members of The Open Mic family?
Even though it seems like I’m letting go of so many things, I won’t stop caring about the amazing people who have joined The Open Mic, those who read and who share their stories, who interact with me and other members, who help me build this community.
As a matter of fact, I’m letting go of all the negative things solely to focus on the positive side of things.
That means I’ll have more energy, more enthusiasm to build and to create.
So if you haven’t joined The Open Mic, now is a good time.
Because you’ll get to witness the making of one of the most exciting platforms for translators out there.
So sign up for this forever free account if you haven’t done so yet and start sharing your stories.
Because your stories matter.
P.S.: I wrote this post mostly for myself as I needed a pick me up post, but I couldn’t find anything online to do the trick so I figured I might as well write it. If you enjoyed reading this story it would mean the world to me if you could share it on social media or leave your comments bellow. I’m always happy to chat! Have a lovely week!
Audra De Falco 
Pieter Beens 
Sherif Abuzid 
Guess what Dmitry, I’ve never compared this website with any other platform – simply because there’s no such thing else. The forums at Proz.com and other websites are for discussion, while this website is my personal magazine and my way to have my 15 minutes of fame every now and then.
So take a breath and improve what you want to and relax if you can’t find time.
I’ve planned to create a new course for Proz.com in the first quarter of this year and it was a great relief when I was unable to even start with it. Now quarter two has come to an end and I admit laughing out loudly that I again didn’t start with it. I had a lot of work and over all appreciated any free minute I had. Making my plans to fit in that tiny space would have greatly increased my stress and have brought me nowhere.
Thumbs up for all your efforts. Hope you definitely win the Community Choice Awards!
Thank you for all your continued support and your kind words, Pieter! You rock! I often tend to go through cycles from Everything is Awesome to Everything is Awful. This post will serve as my Get Out Of Jail, Free card whenever I feel stressed out. And I’m definitely will be taking more time off starting today (we already go to yoga with my wife every Saturday and I also organized small meetups with friends to play soccer or beach volleyball twice a week). It is Summer after all! 🙂
That mindset seems to coincide with my upcoming post on holiday stress =)
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I’m with Peter. Come on, Dmitry!! What you have here, really, is a treasure. At least I see it that way. Of course, I’m not the one sitting behind your desk and thinking about all the development part you must work on to bring this great platform for all of us crazy, passionate translators.
I truly believe in the effect of zodiac signs, I’m a Taurus…and it has its pros and cons too. You are a Gemini and I totally understand what your mind goes through, but you know what, the balance part you talk about is important, though we ALL have our days and moments, so don’t feel bad about having one of them win.
As I told you on Twitter, you really inspire me. You and Elena. So the things you do are not in vain. But don’t put yourself so much pressure. Like Elena said on the last episode of Blabbing Translators, you won’t satisfy EVERYBODY. I LOVE THE OPEN MIC, though I’m not as active as other colleagues or as I would like to be, but I LOVE IT.
So, get yourself up, dust yourself off and keep on going. And pleaaaaase, let go all of the stress! Your cat will appreciate it haha…they can feel our getting stressed.
Big hug for you and your family!
Alex
Thank you, Alex! Sending hugs right back at ya! You’re absolutely right: you can’t please everybody even though it is so tempting. I’d rather focus on the folks who dig what I do and build something awesome and extra special for them instead of being on a wild goose chase that leads nowhere. Thanks for all the support and inspiration!
By the way: I watched your blabs they look awesome even though I don’t know any Spanish. 😀 Keep up the good work!
Awww thanks for watching my blabs! I’m planning to explore how it goes with Google Hangouts because sometimes Blab crashes…(at least here with me). So I’ll let you now, maybe that’s a good option if some day Blab crashes there with you too.
All the best!
Blab crashes quite frequently, but it’s the problem of working with software that is still in Beta. I hope it’ll get better with time.
Dmitry, I’m happy with what you’ve accomplished and your dedication to this “experiment.” I love that I can share my posts here and maybe help or inspire someone. Thank you for creating the open mic. I love it! Now, as a side note, how did you add the click to tweet feature to your post? =-)
Thank you, Baverly! And I love reading your stories! I find them super inspiring and packed with some real and actionable advice! About click to tweet: you can find more information about this feature here: link to theopenmic.co
Hey Dmitry,
I’m very happy for you because you finally get the words out yourself and this is the most interesting part, I’m sure the next days you’ll feel more relaxing and (unexpectedly) more productive.
The Lean Startup, Yes, let it go as it’s. There are no reasons to rush, to compare, to invest most of your time here while leaving other activities out there that are actually matter most.
As long as it moves forward and you see its value, let it go and do your best to empower it when your time permits (And It will)
Have a wonderful day, friend.
Ayman
Thank you so much, Ayman! That reminds me that I need to read that Lean Startup book by Erik Ries. Thank you so much for reading and sharing! High-five from Toronto!
I really like this article. It spoke to me. I live in Awful Land most of the time and love to find people from Awesome Land.
Hey Sharon, why not move to The Awesome Land permanently? What holds you back? I think I’ll move here permanently, really love it here. 🙂
You’re doing great, Dmitry. I have had a few mentors who used different phrases but always repeated the same idea: live in the moment, breathe (the zen monk), take off your glasses and don’t look at the weeds (the garden guru), have a homebrew and don’t stress the details (the beer brewing teacher). Final products are nice, but we spend the most time on the process, better to enjoy it as you go along. I’m very glad to know you, and I’m always glad to have more Awesome in my life.
You’ve had some really great teachers in there, Tracy and since I’ll started doing yoga with my wife I particularly love breathing and living in the moment. There’s so much joy and happiness in that.
Dmitry, it’s good that you let the steam out. It’s good for your health and soul. I am new here but I have been reading many OpenMic stories for a while. It’s a good place for translators to share their thoughts, feelings, practical things, and maybe even their dreams.
You are doing a great job! By the way, you were the one who’s advice on how to build a website helped me to build mine (with a lot of stress in the process).
So, NO to stress, YES to joy!
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing! I’m so happy that my little posts about web-design encouraged you to build a website for your business. I just checked it and it looks great, so you should be proud of yourself!
First of all, THANK YOU! You have contributed to providing a space for peers to share and be understood. That’s a great achievement and AWSOME LAND in my book!
I was laughing out loud just thinking how long its taken me even to add my picture on my OM page! Glad I’m not running this show… things would be really hectic.
About your comment on being a Gemini… I think that you are a translator! My world is always full of too much or too little, dry spells and rain storms. I think we work that way!
Glad to know you’re letting go of the stress, for now (hahahaha). Let’s laugh a bit to recharge our batteries and get ready for the next stress episode. I guess if we detect it in a timely manner, we can laugh and let go a bit quicker each time. Cheers, Dmitry! And again, thank you for your wonderful idea, which has become a reality and benefits so many!
Thank you so much, Marta! This motivates me to make this AWESOME LAND even more AWESOME! 🙂
Keep it up, Dmitry
I enjoy the platform and look forward to new posts. Since creative writing has not been my thing I’ve been finding it challenging to come out with posts so I can blog them. But, reading everything everyone here posts is encouraging.
Thanks, Ginna! Yeah, writing requires inspiration, even I’m not always have the desire or energy to write and share. But I’ve noticed that it gets better with practice 🙂 Plus, if you look closely enough you’ll see that there virtually an endless number of topics you can write about. You just have to find your voice. I’m sure people will enjoy reading your stories. At least your first story was shared plenty of times on Twitter 🙂
Hi Dimitry! Of course you don’t need to stress out! What you are doing is NOTHING SHORT OF AAAWESOME. And after reading your post, I’ve realized how much you care not only about The Open Mic, but also about us, as OM members. How much our contributions or lack of contribution mean to you. And I must apologize, because the enormous work pressure I’ve been under lately hasn’t allowed me to contribute more, comment on posts, or be more social. But if we all do our part, no matter how small, the OM is bound to be THE platform for translators around the world to speak up. Thanks a million for all your work!!
Thank you, Nora! Yes, I care deeply because I want The Open Mic to make a difference and cut through the noise. But it’s very hard when you’re doing so many things at once. That’s why I occasionally feel terrible and like I’m wasting my time and nobody cares. But then I remind myself, that I care, that there’s a group of people here who also cares and that they rely on me and my leadership skills. So I pick myself up and keep going with my head held high! I think it will be a life-long journey, and it will never be easy, so I’m learning how to take my time and enjoy the ride.
Hi Dmitry! I came across a story from The Open Mic several months ago (think it was via FB) and ended up reading more of them. And here I am today I registered on the site! I think you’ve done a great job and the general layout and tone of The Open Mic is so friendly and inspiring at the same time. I’m a reader for now, and I really enjoy these stories, but still don’t feel comfortable to write anything. You keep up the good work!
Thank you so much, Valerie and welcome to our tiny translation family! The Open Mic is a labor of love for me and I just want people to feel happy and inspired because we need this. Translators deserve to have a true digital home where they can feel at ease and I think The Open Mic is a great place to be.
I know that sharing can be scary and nerve-wrecking, but once you try you’ll realize that it’s not that bad. I know that each and every one of us have a story to tell and only by telling our stories we can help each other learn, grow and find inspiration, which in turn will make a positive impact on our profession as a whole.