JG: “pick up the weight”

My colleague James Gross got me thinking with today’s post, “Pick up the Weight. See what you can do with it.”

You see, before I took my current gig, I was something of a “thought leader.” I had a bi-weekly column (and wrote news articles) on ClickZ where I pontificated on the issues of the day — at least where it concerned interactive marketing. I thought big strategic thoughts. I talked to the major players. I updated this blog a hell of a lot more than I do now.

But I consciously chose to give up the free conference passes and the complimentary dinners at fancy restaurants hosted by PR people. Why? Because I wanted to practice what I was preaching. I wanted to do something — pick up the weight, so to speak. If nothing else, I thought it would make me an infinitely better reporter and pontificator on the space.

I’ve learned tons and been a part of creating some really amazing things. I’m too busy to talk (read: Twitter, blog, etc.) about it, mostly, and I’ve occasionally been frustrated about that. But James’ post today cheered me up a little and validated the unsung heroes of our industry (I fancy myself one of these, I guess) — those who may not speak the loudest, but those focused on doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes.