Focus on Yourself: Nobody Actually Cares (And That’s a Good Thing)
Last week, I learned that nobody is watching as closely as we think—and that realization can be incredibly freeing
Let me hit you with some truth: nobody is watching you as closely as you think. As developers, we sometimes feel like every move we make is under a microscope—whether it’s that messy commit, a job rejection, or even joining a hackathon 13 days late. But here’s the reality: everyone’s too focused on their own lives to obsess over yours. And that realization? It’s freeing.
Stop Performing, Start Growing
Most of the pressure we feel comes from ourselves. The thought of “What will they think if I fail?” keeps us stuck. But the truth? Nobody’s paying attention to your failure. What people do respect is growth.
Think about it:
That one buggy API you fixed? No one’s analyzing how long it took.
Your late start in the Google Chrome Built-in AI Challenge? Most people are impressed you showed up at all. (Yes, I jumped in 13 days late. More on that gossip later this week!)
Even the countless scrums, Vue files, and controllers you wrestled with last week—guess what? Everyone’s too busy dealing with their own chaos to judge yours.
The lesson here? Show up for yourself. Focus on improving, learning, and building something that makes you proud.
The Beauty of Being Overlooked
When you realize nobody is scrutinizing your every move, you unlock the freedom to experiment, fail, and try again. It’s like coding a new feature—you’re not writing it for applause; you’re doing it to solve a problem. That’s where the magic is.
A Quick Hackathon Teaser
Speaking of focusing on what matters, last week I built a Chrome extension called Webpage Genie during a hackathon (yep, the one I joined late). It uses Chrome’s AI APIs to summarize web content in seconds. The kicker? I built it not to impress, but because I wanted to see if I could. And spoiler: I did.
I’ll be sharing the full behind-the-scenes of building it later this week—stay tuned.
Final Thought
Nobody cares about your failures as much as you think. Use that freedom to focus on yourself—your growth, your goals, and your journey. Whether it’s fixing a bug, joining a hackathon late, or just surviving a week of chaotic deadlines, your only competition is yesterday’s version of you.
So go build, create, and thrive—because you’ve got nothing to prove to anyone but yourself.