Idol: A person that is greatly loved, admired or revered.
Hero: A person who is admired or idealised for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities.
Recently I was having a conversation with a friend discussing people we look up to and the various reasons why. For a while I've always found that I rarely look up to anyone in the fields I am most engrossed with (basketball when I was younger, writing now). I don't know why that it is, but I'm sure it isn't a bad thing as I've always said talent isn't enough, it is the qualities that compliment it that aid the fulfilment. Those qualities can be found in any craft.
I also noticed that sometimes I can literally pick a single quality from a person that I admire so much that it makes any consensus of wrongdoings obsolete in my mind. Perhaps subconsciously I'm one of those people who tries to always see the good in people, and overlook the bad.
With this all in mind, I thought I'd share in a sentence, what I have learnt from a few of the people that have and continue to inspire me:
(In no particular order)
1) Beyoncé - that there is no substitute for hard work.
2) Kanye West - that if you don't believe in yourself, nobody will.
3) Michael Jackson - that through every adversity, as a public figure, the show must go on.
4) Jay-Z - that your background is not an excuse to not be atypical & defeat stereotype.
5) Woody Allen - that you can do what you love for the rest of your living days.
6) Usain Bolt - that being gracious in victory and defeat doesn't always matter.
7) Warren Buffet - that humility does not have to disappear with success and riches.
8) Jose Mourinho - that there is nothing wrong with prioritising winning above all.
9) Princess Diana - that the legacy of a good life lives on forever.
10) J K Rowling - that rejection doesn't mean your work isn't good enough.
11) Ari Emmanuel - that the only constant in business is change, so get comfortable with it.
12) Simon Cowell - that being rock bottom is motivation to climb to the top.
13) HarveyWeinstein - that applauds for success ultimately outweigh the frowns on ruthlessness.
14) Sir Alex Ferguson - that you need to have the relentless undying hunger to prove you're the best over and over again if you want to remain at the top.
Two similar qualites I believe these people share are passion and drive. The key ingredients, for without passion there is nothing to drive you on in the face of inevitable adversity and without drive, well, it just isn't going to happen - bar the one in a million who get lucky.
Of course, the people I've mentioned may not inspire you in any way whatsoever. Why not let me know below who your heroes & idols are and why? Who knows, maybe I'll learn a thing or two.
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Currently watching: The Big Bang Theory S06E06 (I recently watched the all five series in about three weeks)
I am concerned about the consensous of wrong doings statement. Although I understand what you mean, some things are unforgivable!
ReplyDeleteThe people that have inspired me, in the terms you are talking about, in the media are few and far between. Stephen king, who has overcome many things in his life and still continued to write. Bob Geldof for his nutty self and that he loves a child that wasn't his because he loved his ex wife.
My friend Verina who is a foster parent and adoptive parent extrodinare
Those who write purely because they can't not write. Some of whom we have both got to know well, recently!
My mother in her own insane way, as she is a survivor.
My children inspire me to write, to show them a female can do, to follow your heart and to maybe earn enough money for some more chickens.
Yes, some things are unforgivable, I agree... The person I most had in mind when writing that was Kanye West. He can be an arsehole often and tends to act before he thinks, but his genius, fulfilment of his ego etc. are undeniable. Which makes it easier to overlook the times when he's being an arsehole lol.
DeleteI think it's seriously undervalued how great an inspiration those around us can be. Will write a post about that some day.
BAZINGA back at ya! I absolutely love that breathy laugh/smile he does when he gets a joke.
P.S.
ReplyDeleteBAZINGA!