Continuum Of Inspiration!

As they say, a person is often sum of their experiences and the people they meet, my life is significantly influenced by the strong personalities, thoughts, and actions of the people whom I have met personally or sometimes read or watched. As a person, I often admired Sachin Tendulkar for his dedication, humility, and hunger to achieve excellence. I was influenced by my mother's patience and adaptability to all circumstances with no qualms while my father had shaped my ideas on integrity, and relentless pursuit of my goals. They made me an independent thinker with freedom of choice in all important decisions. I still cherish some of those debates on any topic where all of us were an equal participant to share thoughts. Overall, it was a learning journey with deriving inspiration from Abraham Lincoln, Sachin, and my teachers, which strengthened my belief in the value of persistent efforts and never giving up. 

Later there were two people who anchored my learning and provided their guidance whenever I could feel my will power was getting exhausted. One always needs a bit of extra fuel when the chips are down, and the choices are limited. This came from different sources and I am glad to share about them. 

One of them is my professional mentor, my manager in my early days, and later a friend and a guide. When I started my professional stint, there were mixed perceptions about myself among the seniors leading to a lack of trust. She was the first one to lift me up and entrusted my capabilities. She continuously challenged me in different areas and brought the best in me through encouragement and mentorship. She made me realize my strengths but also helped me overcome the limitations through her observations from time to time. Even when she was no more my manager, and actually assumed the senior position, I could always confide in her or just walk up to her to say, "can we talk? ". She did find time to discuss it out with me to share her perspective objectively and listen to me. Even after leaving the organization, there have been times when we could connect over any career-related topics and she has always been a healer through her empathy. Moreover, she would also push me to sharpen the saw and working towards my goals. I always look up to her as an inspiration and trust her instincts and ideas. 

The second person is my husband, who has always backed me up, come what may. He has supported me and has truly been my partner in everything. Talking of support, it is not just the words of encouragement when things go well but also come as chiding when I am not at my best and sometimes to jolt me out of inaction. His practical wisdom has always helped me get a balanced view and stay on track with personal and professional goals. 

As I see, deriving inspiration is not just about seeking knowledge of behavior but also see them imbibe in their actions. Similar to a coach, they often step ahead and enable us to see our own situation and behaviors in a different light which is very helpful in driving the right thoughts, behaviors, and actions.