Picks of the Month - March 2017
Tags: resources, react, blogging, expectations
Published: 2017-04-04 14:48:19

---
title: Picks of the Month - March 2017
published: true
description: March was very busy from both a technical and non-technical adventure. 
cover_image: https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/qps2exordqhg07l3o1w1.png
tags: Resources, React, Blogging, Expectations
---

*Originally posted at: [mindbodysouldeveloper](http://www.mindbodysouldeveloper.com/2017/04/04/picks-month-march-2017/)*

Another month. More resources acquired. March was very busy from both a technical and non-technical adventure.

I really tried to limit myself with the resources I come across. Notice that they are not all technical. 

Remember, **we are more than just code**.


## Living without expectations

Recently, I wrote a post about [lowering your expectations](http://www.mindbodysouldeveloper.com/2017/03/18/lower-your-expectations-when-blogging/) when blogging. 

But why stop there when you can apply it to your life? 

- Are you tired of being let down?
- Do you have goals you never reach?
- Are you disappointed by your life or job?

This great post by [Jason Fried](https://m.signalvnoise.com/@jasonfried) on [Living without expectations](https://m.signalvnoise.com/living-without-expectations-1d66adb10710) talks about that. 

Some of my highlights:

> Being let down means something didn't measure up to what you expected.

> Expectations are what let you down, not outcomes. Outcomes just are.

> When I go for a run I don't expect to run a 6 minute mile, but if I do, great. And if I don't that's fine too — I still went for a run.

The last piece is for me. I run because I want to run. Not because I expect myself to be healthy or run a marathon. 

## Is Ignorance a Problem

[Seth Godin](http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/) is master blogger/writer. His terse yet powerful posts always leave me thinking. You can literally read his blog posts in a minute or two. 

His [Is Ignorance a Problem](http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2017/03/is-ignorance-the-problem.html) post is no exception.

>The challenge is that people don't always care about what you care about. And the reason they don't care isn't that they don't know what you know.
>
>The reason is that they don't believe what you believe.
>
>The challenge, then, isn't to inform them. It's to **engage and teach and communicate in a way that shares emotion and values and beliefs**.

*Highlights done by me.*

This is a common mistake from developers trying to teach others. Don't inform me! Engage me, teach me, communicate with me.


## React

My on-and-off relationship with React continues. This month I found two really good resources on the topic. 

### React is taking over the front end

[Samer Buna](https://medium.freecodecamp.com/@samerbuna) is an outstanding trainer. His React Pluralsight was my first dive into the technology.

His approach was different. No environment set up. Just reference React via `<scrip></script>` tag. 

On top of that, he used the `React.CreateClass(...)` syntax instead of JSX. It was a gruesome beginning. But it **helped me understand and appreciate** React and JSX.

His [Yes, React is taking over front-end development. The question is why.](https://medium.freecodecamp.com/yes-react-is-taking-over-front-end-development-the-question-is-why-40837af8ab76) post is no different. This is by far the best intro to React. Even if you are a React developer already, you will learn a thing or two.

My recommendation is to code along with him. This post was my **AHA moment** with React.

### Styled Components

I don't know about you, but making things pretty isn't my strongest suit. (Actually, I'm pretty awful a it!)

>Utilising tagged template literals (a recent addition to JavaScript) and the power of CSS, styled-components allows you to write actual CSS code to style your components. It also removes the mapping between components and styles – using components as a low-level styling construct could not be easier!

It makes your React and React Native components pretty damn sexy. First HTML in JavaScript and now CSS in JavaScript? Sure, why not!

Highly recommended!

https://github.com/styled-components/styled-components

## Your Turn

Did you come across anything cool this month? It doesn't have to be tech related. But something you believe your fellow developers will benefit from. 

Share it with us on the comments below. Or why not [start writing your own blog posts](http://www.mindbodysouldeveloper.com/2017/03/16/will-suck-blogging-thats-ok/) and share them with us? :)

*Originally posted at: http://www.mindbodysouldeveloper.com/2017/04/04/picks-month-march-2017/*