
Seeking Inspiration? - ajhit406
http://sivers.org/io
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fiatpandas
I've noticed that ever since I've started reading HN (which I think is fairly
intellectually stimulating for me), the rate at which I independently think up
new ideas for projects has greatly reduced. I don't know if they are actually
correlated. Maybe reading a site like this and reading about other people
achieving and inventing things lubricates that part of my brain that gives me
satisfaction for making things myself.

Or that I now have so many ideas from others whirring around in my head, that
it is difficult to separate my own personal desires from the experiences and
projects I read about in blogs and discussions, so I emerge without really
knowing any of my own dreams and dispositions.

~~~
scarecrowbob
Maybe unrelated, but as my awareness of what other folks have made musically
has increased, my desire to write and create new compositions has decreased...
I suspect because I'm aware that a lot of the things I would like to see
created have already been created.

However, this hasn't stemmed my desire to get better at making music... quite
the opposite... but I have been a lot more systematic in my practicing and a
lot more willing to be confident that performing work other people have
performed is a legitimate practice.

I have felt similarly in my own programming practice: most every thing that I
really need to do has functionally been done in other contexts, and my task is
to figure out the best ways to bring those previous works to bear on my own
context... so I feel less "creative" but more effective.

~~~
louhike
I think it's because you gained criticism on your work by being aware of what
are doing others. It can be considered as an improvment.

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drakaal
Author Confuses inspiration and resassurance.

We may flock to TED and Hacker News to read about what others are doing, but
not for inspiration in the sense that we will be inspired to do things, but
rather we seek reassurance that people are doing things, things that we feel
we could do if we tried.

We want to see people we can relate to doing great things so that we can feel
that those things are with in our ability.

When you watch Nascar you think you can drive fast. When you watch TED you
think you can change the world. You aren't inspired by Nascar, you are
envigorated, excited, but not inspired.

TED and Hacker News is nascar for geeks.

~~~
tejay
I don't disagree, but I do find myself having moments of clarity when I look
up from work and come check out HN. Often it's just a brief comment just
resonates, and clarifies something I'd been chewing on for the past few
days/weeks. In that way, I guess it's a precursor to what the author labels as
true 'inspiration.'

In any case, I like dropping in on smart people debating stuff.

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wallflower
My rule of thumb is inspiration declines exponentially. And as someone famous
once said - inspiration doesn't do anything - irritation has more to do with
it.

e.g. at the conference/lecture/business meeting/serendipitous coffee, your
excitement level is 110%

To truly do something, you must continue working when you are not inspired.

a day later, 70%

a week later, 20%

Three birds sat on a railing. One decided to fly off. How many birds are there
now?

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rikacomet
I must point on one thing, take this example most of us, have experienced many
times of some smart guy, giving a smart talk in your high school/college, and
you walk out and say to your friend "woah, that was a good lecture/speech,
that guy was awesome" .. after few days you go on with your normal business,
but somewhere inside you, you feel the guilt of not applying, what you learned
during that lecture. Well you are not always right, our brain is only as much
capable of seeing our own improvement, to a limit, going from 18-25, you see a
lot of changes, and you don't see a lot of changes, so the point is, that its
not necessary for you to always apply, what you just learned immediately. Yes,
try to use it soon, but its not necessary to apply, what you heard from that
smart guy, starting tomorrow, because his circumstances are way different than
yours, and he would know a lot of contingencies related what he said, of
course.

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boothead
I'm one of the afflicted; always looking for more information. One other thing
I've noticed in myself after beginning to do a little mediation is a pervading
and constant sense of "I should be"...

* I should be building my own business

* I should be better at this

* I should be earning more

* I should be living a 4 hour workweek

I've realised that these are caustic feelings that cause a low level pervasive
feeling of stress, and worse distort the lens that I observe myself through.

I'm far from unsuccessful: I'm a self taught programmer and I'm good at what I
do. Financially I'm up near the top in terms of earnings, despite only
programming professionally for 5 years or so. Partly I'm successful due to
that thirst for knowledge I guess.

So it's a difficult balance between healthy inquisitiveness and a desire to
expose oneself to new ideas for their own sake, and getting stuck in a
negative consumption/inhalation loop with no corresponding
fulfilment/exhalation phase.

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Paul_D_Santana
There is a difference between seeking inspiration and simply reading or
watching something intellectually stimulating for entertainment (nor are they
mutually exclusive).

Reading Hacker News, for example, can be done for entertainment.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

~~~
shurcooL
Yea, and in addition to that, it can also be read to keep up with news-worthy
events.

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euphoria83
I agree. I sometimes (rarely) have moments when I want to punch into the air,
or raise my hands above my head to claim victory, or slap my desk with vigor,
when I just achieved something (generally small) on the task I am intently
working at. Then I look around somewhat abashed, but I can't share it with too
many people because it will be hard to explain my accomplishment to them. That
is true joy. I think that's what the article is talking about.

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cGmike
This article really made me think. How often do we forget to actually DO
something with what we have learned or witnessed.

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kostyk
I believe it's Einstein who said that knowledge is only knowledge when it is
applied.

