Tao Te Ching, Verse VII: Through Selfless Action, She Attains Fulfilment

"The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead." Slow and steady wins the race.

Throughout my coding journey I have always done things gradually but consistently.

I have methodically learned every language I ever learned, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript and now I am methodically learning Python too - very methodically indeed, too.

I combine Codewars problems, with rigour and thorough analysis, with Codecademy courses - I try and do a 50:50 split (this is in my evenings and on my weekends, in my downtime, on the train, and in moments when I am desperately blocked and cannot proceed at all without help - thank you so much).

I was rigorous at all points of my coding journey and always consolidated things:

• on my blog
• on linkedin
• in my 1:1 doc with my manager (I had a learning updates doc for the first four months of learning on the job before bootcamp and I maintained it rigorously).

I guess what I'm trying to say is I didn't rush things.

I didn't rush into building fancy projects based on tech I didn't understand or using some Chat GPT or whatever. There is something to be said for building projects quite early as you will learn a lot from building things even projects that you don't understand. But what I'm trying to say is that while from some perspectives my progress might have looked slower:

• I was rigorous at all times
• I maintained best practice at all times
• I consolidated things at all times
• I worked within an agile team nearly the whole time I was doing it
• I stayed focused on the product at all times
• I maintained and stayed in line with developer practices all times, like writing tickets, raising PRs, and writing detailed comments on PRs and on changes made and so on - thank you xxx

"He is detached, thus at one with all."

I try to love everybody and everything equally.

Of course it's not easy and like everybody, I have people who I prefer working with, or who I work better with, or work closer with, than others.

"Through selfless action, she attains fulfillment."

You can say what you like about me. 

I'm serious, you can say what you like.

But my decision to become a software engineer was completely selfless. It came from a completely selfless place within me.

• I already had a good job when I found software engineering - I was a Product Owner
• I had a really good framework and really good career progression ahead of me
• I already had three degrees

So why seek out for anything more? Why seek anything further? Well because I just knew almost straight away that being a software engineer was my life destiny and my life purpose and I knew that I was truly meant to be doing it. Every sign and symbol from the universe was there; I just met all the right people, I loved it so much and miracle upon miracle after miracle aligned itself so that I might be able to do this.

I was so excited and I so loved software engineering - not because I wanted to get anything out of it - but because I honestly felt this was the best way to serve God. And so that is why I continue with it, please. 

Thank you.

P.S. Biggest P.S. In The World Ever - 

I was soooo afraid to write this post as it felt so big and so personal - and even more personal than the one before which is really saying a lot thank you - but the beauty and the love and the selflessness of this performance really inspired me

this performance is so selfless, it really transcends everything - thank you

Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu - chapter 7

Heaven and Earth last for ever.
Why do Heaven and Earth last for ever?
They are unborn,
So ever living.
The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead.
He is detached, thus at one with all.
Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment.