The End is just the Beginning

How Year End Lists are the Beginning of Discovery

One of my favorite things about the end of the year is the ‘Best Of’ lists that pop up everywhere on the internet. They are inherently arbitrary. Inescapable. And I love them.

No matter what you’re into, there is a ‘Best Of’ list for it. I always find great recommendations of films, music, TV shows, books, articles, and more. And while they are just the view and taste of a single individual or collective editorial decision, I learn about all kinds of creative works that have gone under my radar. It’s an explosion of discovery.

And. It. Is. Awesome.

I had this experience recently (Driver's License by Olivia Rodrigo) and thinking about it more, discovery is one of the most amazing feelings one can possibly have. That feeling when you find or are shown something new, it clicks with you, and it overwhelms you with happiness. When this happens, I get a wave of awe and jealousy at the talent and providence that allowed just the right set of pieces to come together to make it exist. And that I was lucky enough to find it.

The best part of discovery is that it can happen with something new or old, popular or obscure. You can discover it by recommendation or stumble upon it serendipitously. Whatever it is or however it happens, it’s a little moment of bliss. Occasionally, there are weird accompanying pseudo feelings of regret that you didn’t find it sooner or fear that you barely caught this gem (and may be missing out on something else). But the pure joy of the discovery washes everything else away, bringing relief that you did find it.

And these lists aren’t limited to what you may have missed from the past year. They are just a starting point. With our connected world of digital content, you can go down a rabbit hole of artists and creators, exploring and immersing yourself in their other works or the work of their peers, genres, influences, or whatever connection you find. No longer do you need to chase down, immerse yourself in a particular niche of circles, or build an expensive library of content. All of these traditional forms of searching are high effort which could limit you to the familiar. Our new access points, mainly streaming, remove the friction of discovery.

Yet having sooo much available at our fingertips, it can also have the opposite effect to overwhelm, thus neutralize the very act of finding something new, different, or interesting. The tyranny of choice is real and can cause us to forgo the different for the familiar because it’s easier. This is where word of mouth recommendations, especially from the internet, excel. With so much available to us all the time but with so little time to check it all out, these year-end lists offer a litmus test for what is worth spending your time checking out.

And these lists span beyond content to consume and also include experiences to live. While movies, TV shows, music, and books are common topics, you can also learn about foods, styles, gadgets, and travel destinations to name a few. You can find something that appeals to you based on collective consensus or the matching taste of specific authors of these lists that are just as fun and exhilarating when you realize something unique to your tastes.

But what it all comes down to is that experimentation, that openness to trying something new. Checking out anything and everything, even if it isn’t typically in your wheelhouse. These types of list are a great place to start.

Our modern systems of aggression allow for linking and suggestions based on numerous crossover traits. And while it is a lot to sift through, that is a part of the journey of discovery, going through a bunch of boring, bad, or even decent till you find the one. Then it was all worth it.

So go discover something.