On inspiration
If we want to produce good content, we must need good ideas. Then we should get inspiration. Well, people can get inspiration from many channels. Some are costly; the others are less expensive. Different people may prefer different approaches to recharge themselves.
For me, I prefer to read because it is cheap and efficient. While I read classics for inspiration, I do not object to good contemporary books. It is because some modern books are valuable and intriguing, and I don’t want to exclude them simply because they were written not long enough. I view these books as modern classics.
I have to be highly selective because of the abundance of written materials. Should I get an idea from a blog, I would not bother to read a book. Was I able to get inspired by a tweet, I would not browse a blog. I read to enlighten myself, not to show off to others. I want to save time for things that matter more. The only exception is that I don’t optimize my time when reading a book for pleasure. It comes when I read some mind-blowing philosophy books. I would not read their summaries or commentaries at all. I want to obtain the understanding by myself.
Many people despise themselves for consuming too many videos, Instagrams, news, or tweets. I do not think it is necessarily bad if they know how to distinguish signals from noises. As long as you get what you want, it doesn’t matter from where your inspirations come. I saw many notable influencers on Twitter advocate books and ditch social media without admitting that they are taking advantage of social media to make profits. I would not be surprised they would advocate the benefits of social media if all of their followers switch to reading books. They know that people are addicted to social media. They know that people rarely have the discipline to resist instant gratification. Yet they continue to provide unsolicited useless advice that appears reasonable to have.
Apart from reading, I also enjoy having conversations with people from different backgrounds. Dialogues with them often remove blind spots in my thoughts and bring new insights into the matter I care about.
Once I know a topic well, I will write down my thoughts. It helps clear my mind. Suppose I were determined to work on it further. In that case, I could start it immediately because I have sufficient preparation for it. Otherwise, I keep seeking new inspirations without regrets.