Sources Of Emulation, Inspiration, And Self-Dissatisfaction

In a world that defines the importance of everything by placing it in a list, one more list won’t hurt, right?

1. Seth Godin

2. Malcolm Gladwell (also find his writing in the New Yorker)

3. Paul Krugman

Breaking them down

Seth Godin: You may wonder why I have “self-dissatisfaction” in the title. Godin is the reason why. I work to emulate Godin on a daily basis, to write in a way that equally encourages people to challenge the status quo (by creating a ruckus) and inspires them to be creative about it. Godin writes in the way that says “you can do better, here is how you can be better – go and combine the two.”

Malcolm Gladwell: Ah, Gladwell. No person can say “you’re an idiot, start asking why things are the way they are so you quit buying into the status quo and being manipulated” like Gladwell. His way of writing answers the question of why with grace, common sense, and resolve. He inspires me to not only question everything, but actually seek out the answer – the full answer (and share it!).

Paul Krugman: He has attitude. Actually, a firefull combination of expertness and bias. I read his wonkish writing to understand how to state facts in a direct, “duh!” kind of way. While I don’t care to know all of the facts of economics he has to share, I adorn the way he shares them. Additionally, I admire everything that he writes that is non-wonkish, such as why he doesn’t use Twitter, or his reflections on family and life. He reminds me that although you can be one of the top-most professionals in your niche, that you’re human and people love reading the works of people who are human.

Garth Beyer
Latest posts by Garth Beyer (see all)

Share A Response