Who inspires you?

There are people in this world who's life stories strike an amazing cord of passion in my life. These are the people that mind boggle me with their tenacity, persistence and stubbornness despite the odds they face in their lives.

For example, when I look at Michael Jackson, I like to tend to look beyond the music and the icon facet. I look at his life and try to think about how he managed to come through the barrier that was that time racism. Its easy for me today to belief I can achieve what ever I set my mind to accomplish because of the hope people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King or Michael Jackson have afforded me. They however lived in a world lacking much of the optimism and hope we enjoy today.

Girls and black people look at Oprah Winfrey and tell themselves they too can carve a name for themselves. I look at her and conclude that if she made it big, then there is a chance out there for me too. But of course opportunities will not present themselves to us like they did to these people. Their lives teach us that life presents us with opportunities, and that when they do come we should be ready to make the best of them.

I like the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Who would have thought a body builder living all the way in Austria could someday be the governor of Carlifornia on the richest country in the world. He saw an opportunity and was ready to to pursue it. Being Mr Olympia presented him the opportunity of going to learn in the US. And to be a champion he couldn't afford to sleep all day. Being Mr Olympia is not child's play. It takes hard work and eminent pain. No pain no gain, that's what they say right?

Of course this is just the tip of the iceberg for there are a plethora of people like these in my life. The three I mentioned above however have this indelible effect on me that I just can't shrugg off.

How about you? Who inspires you? Who makes you do some of the things you do? Go on and leave a comment!