Off topic

I think we need to share more. I think I need to share more. Every day, people are asked "how are you?" Every day, people lie. I feel like there are lots of reasons we don't speak up. Life has a way of shutting us up. I feel like one of those reasons is the idea that people's thoughts aren't "on topic". I know there's a little part of me that thinks that nobody wants to hear what I have to say, especially if it's not about the specifically nerdy topics I'm "relevant" enough to speak about. I feel like that's a concern that creeps in over a career: you've gotta stay "on brand", right? I think a lot of us are in the habit of preemptively shutting up. And I'm going on out a limb and saying that might be a bad habit we can all try to break. So let's go off topic. Let's go off brand. Let's talk about anything and everything. I hope this will be fun. Let's find out.