One of the best ways to grow your career as a good developer is to share your expertise with a community of fellow developers.
In every field, a handful of good developers write articles and speak at conferences about what they have learnt. These contributions often accelerate their careers.
However, there comes a point where these developers become inundated with speaking engagements, employment opportunities and other demands for their time. At that point, it is crucial for them to prioritize. They need to ensure that their other engagements do not come at the cost of writing code that is useful.
And yes, this principle applies to every other creative profession as well.
We often mistake interest in our work for its affirmation and approval. If we wish to preserve our creative edge, we must ensure that our other engagements do not come at the cost of whatever earned us those engagements in the first place – doing the work.
Inspiration: Maria Popova
Observations 