5 Influential Personalities That Can Inspire You

Do you wish to succeed in Silicon Valley like Sundar Pichai or do you want to be a finisher like MS Dhoni? Our goals and aspirations become clearer when we observe such influential people who have excelled in their profession by their remarkable work.

At that point, we realise that we too want to be in the spotlight, and these people begin to inspire us. Our inner child lights up like a Christmas tree whenever we see them or read about them. Let's take a look at these very simple but very impactful individuals who have pursued excellence by religiously following their innate qualities.

PV Sindhu, Badminton Player

Qualities to look for: Self Belief | Dedication | Perseverance

To believe in yourself is probably one of the toughest challenges faced by youth today. But this is the one thing that can see you through any obstacle. In a country that is fanatically passionate about only a handful of sports and a few “sportsmen” Sindhu has secured her own fanbase, purely through perseverance and dedication.

Students can learn a lot from this uncomplicated and absolutely stellar athlete. Sindhu faced a major setback in 2015 when she fractured her foot at the Commonwealth Games. For an athlete such injuries can mean the end of their career, but Sindhu persevered and trained harder to become stronger and her efforts saw fruition with a silver medal at the 2017 Olympics. She was nicknamed Silver Sindhu as she always missed the gold. But she didn’t let the tag define her. Instead through self belief, perseverance and dedication she became the first Indian shuttler to win gold at the BWF Badminton World Championships in 2019.

Students often lose hope when they face or foresee failure; and this makes them give up easily. But you must remember that obstacles are present in our lives only to overcome them. You must strive to find solutions without losing hope.

Also Read - 5 Questions To Help You Check Your Resilience Levels

Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google

Qualities to look for: Creative Thinking | Apt Use Of Knowledge

Yes, we are all proud of Indian-born Pichai. But he is more than his designation. Pichai has a knack for noticing challenges and finding creative solutions to them. Through the right application of his knowledge and the expertise of his teams he was able to improve Google’s usage for its billions of users. His vision has made life simpler with Google Maps, Google Translate and Google Meet. Pichai has harnessed all of his technical expertise to create these apps whenever he encountered a need. During the pandemic Pichai introduced more than 50 new software solutions for remote learning. This tells us about his quick action on solutions and not just thinking about them.

So students now know the value of finding timely solutions and working on them within a stipulated time. Mugging up lessons can help momentarily - during exams probably. But, true learning happens when you are able to make good use of your knowledge and employ it in real life.

Also Read - Keep Up With Basic Technologies To Learn Cloud Computing

Ritu Kirdhal, Scientist, ISRO

Qualities to look for: Innovative thinking | Persistence

Do you remember the ladies behind Mangalyaan Mission of ISRO? Aerospace engineer Ritu Karidhal is one of them. Kirdhal was appointed as the Deputy Operations Director for the Mangalyaan-1 Mars Orbiter Mission (M.O.M.) in 2012. She had two major hurdles to overcome – a tight deadline and communication with the orbiter. This entire mission had a very limited completion time. It was Kirdhal who developed the "brain of the satellite” and also solved complications in communicating with the orbiter.

The decisions taken by her accomplished the project in just 18 months, which is now the most cost-effective interplanetary project in the history of space research across the globe. Never before had any country successfully orbited Mars on its first try, and for India it was all thanks to Kirdhal’s innovative thinking and persistence in overcoming extremely difficult and complex challenges.

Students, remember, it is not important that you follow the crowd, your challenges are different from others and so will be your way of overcoming them. For instance, you don’t understand a particular concept, despite revising; relating it to something that is dear to you – a song or movie can help you remember and recall. Innovative thinking can be as innovative as you can be.

Also Read - Exploring The Space Sciences And ISRO

MS Dhoni, Cricketer

Qualities to look for: Focus On The Process | Always Do Your Best

Former Indian captain is addressed by many names by his fans. Captain Cool, Mahi, Thala, are all possibly the synonyms of the love Dhoni has garnered over the years. Ever since he wore the Indian blue Dhoni has performed at his best. From being the only captain to win all three formats of the game to mentoring young players this athlete has impacted the youth immensely. Our young readers may already know of Dhoni’s numerous achievements, but let’s take a look at what you can learn from this much loved cricketer.

One of the qualities that we can simply see is patience. Dhoni shows immense composure especially during nerve wracking situations. Remember his final six at the 2011 World Cup? He often specifies his mantra, "Never think about the end result, always approach things one ball at a time." Similarly, you don’t have to fear completing your syllabus all together; one lesson at a time, one subject at a time. Focus on the process, goal will be achieved eventually and successfully

Also Read - 5 Important Lessons To Learn From Sports

Elon Musk, Entrepreneur

Qualities to look for: Be Yourself | Accept Criticism Positively| Follow Your Passion

Elon Musk has an exceptionally varied career as he boldly pursued his interests and passions and never camouflaged his individuality. Although technology is his primary area of interest, he has also utilised it to explore the world of space travel, the internet, renewable energy, and transportation. Musk has a unique way of perceiving and approaching things. He is unabashedly himself, seeks criticism and follows his passions to the core. He says, "Constantly seek criticism. A well thought out critique of whatever you’re doing is as valuable as gold.”

Own-your-self, your individuality. The fish, the ant and the elephant can never be the same. Each has their own abilities. So follow your passions and interests, work hard to excel in them without the fear of being judged or failure.

Also Read - Jack Of All Trades: Honing Multiple Skills For Success In Entrepreneurship And Life