I believe there is something magical in the act of sharing. I wanted to start a series on this. Starting from the code, and why is important to share our code with others.

Have you ever experienced the “click”, or the “Aha!” moment which from time to time happens when someone show us something new for the first time? And from that moment on we want to learn and know more about how that “alien” thing works?

I guess so, I like to call it the seed of curiosity.

The seed of curiosity

Once the seed is planted we start to feel something irrepressible happening inside us. The only thing we think about is to know more about that “new” thing, and we want to master it. We want that thing be part of us.

It’s something we believe valuable and affordable to us. And we start to feel envy for that knowledge.

It’s a knowledge envy. I am not talking about something material. I am talking about the knowledge we can use to achieve something we thought was impossible just few moments before. Something that might unlock a new potential.

We are completely subordinate to that knowledge. We feel we can negotiate almost everything in order to acquire it. Perhaps time, money, and believe or not, even prejudices.

We start believing something we thought was impossible, is instead possible. We change.

Share your code to plant and fulfill curiosity

All of the code I write is mostly available on GitHub, GitLab and BitBucket. I am used to share even the smallest code kata there.

It’s not because I feel brave and confident enough to know my code is “perfect”.

It’s quite the opposite.

“I know my code is not perfect, and it doesn’t want to be”.

I do share my code, primarily because of a sake of data storage! I know my code is “archived” somewhere and I can pick it again later on whenever I will need it. Storage is not a concern anymore. This is a pure egoistic and opportunistic perspective.

Secondly, to trigger the “magic”. I share my code to increase the chance to plant new seeds and helping others fulfill their curiosity. If this will happen I will be glad the code I have shared were helpful for someone. This is a pure giver perspective: “I did this, here you have it, do whatever you want”.

Last but not least, the chance to receive feedback and contributions back! This is in my opinion the end of the loop, and it is the most powerful thing that may happen. Learning by sharing.

Should I share my code, even if it’s ugly?

Yes! Yes! And Yes!

I am going to reveal a secret now, are you ready? It’s a sad truth.

Your code sucks, it’s not perfect and it will never be.

Every time you preclude yourself to share what you have created you are losing the 100% of the opportunities that are waiting for you out there.

So, let’s the magic happens. Start share your creation!

The only thing that can go wrong is that you will learn something new, having planted new seeds of curiosity and having helped others.