Inspiration Dosage is a Must for Everyone
As humans surviving in this cutthroat competitive world, we all have our ups and downs. We cannot always be in high spirits. We need regular doses of inspiration to keep up the good work consistently. So, what is the source of inspiration? And, where do we find it?
There are different forms of art that inculcate inspiration. For instance, movies, dramas, poetry, and books drive encouragement. In my perception, the inspiration derived from these sources is very volatile, and an individual is only pumped up till he remembers the characters from the art form and until he finds himself busy with his regular routines. Sometime ago, I was watching the movie Chak De! India. It was an awe-inspiring film on how an underdog Indian women’s Hockey team won the worldcup under the guidance of Kabir Khan, a motivating coach. Below is a dialogue from one of the protagonists in the film that gave me goosebumps.
“We are ready to die on the field rather than giving up the contest.”
That night, after the movie, I felt empowered, and had there been an opportunity, I would have conquered the whole world. After a good night’s sleep, Kabir Khan was out of my mind. I was back to my mundane work, and the infused energy was no longer available.
Inspiration should be embodied in a physical form to look up to a person who can draw esteemed regard, rather than a fictitious character. The world is not short of luminaries. Every success has a turbulent story behind it. Few influential tales that crosses my mind are: Innovative entrepreneurs such as Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk etc. who designed products from zero, ambitious initiators such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs etc. whose garages were incubators, Robert Downey Jr’s ascent from going to jail for drug abuse to the highest paid actor in Hollywood, Sundar Pichai’s journey from growing up in a middle-class cramped house to the CEO of Alphabet, J.K.Rowling’s progression from surviving on grants as a divorced single mother to becoming world’s first billionaire author, Colonel Sanders’ miracle to establish the huge KFC empire post his retirement and with his modest social security funds, Celine Dion’s struggle from overcoming the odds as the youngest among 14 siblings to receiving National Order of Quebec, her province’s highest honour, and Pelé’s transformation from poverty stricken childhood where he couldn’t afford a proper football to being a global ambassador for soccer.
Although a majority of these well-known celebrities from various walks of life have had humbled or troubled backgrounds, they are now at the pinnacle of social elitism, backed by power and money. A greater degree of motivation is invoked only when you correlate the commonalities between you and your inspirational personality. These epitomes of great character aren’t necessarily required to be notables or superstars. Stand up and look around; there are tons of such people surrounding us. From the sacrifices of our parents that made us what we are today, the selflessness of the teachers that taught us in our early days, or the pain endured by the doctors and medical staff who are serving us nonstop during the ongoing pandemic, all of them are real heroes from whom we should extract a lot of inspiration and try to emulate their traits.
There are many pertinent narratives that bear a significant resemblance to an undistinguished commoner like us. The other day I was reading about Malavika Hegde, the superwoman who is restructuring Café Coffee Day back to its glory. Being a woman in a male-dominant corporate business world, she has shown some rustic courage after her husband quit the rat race with an untimely suicide. She arose like a Phoenix from the darkest phase of her life. Single-handedly reviving a doomed business from the claws of bankruptcy is no mean feat. Isn’t this a heartening cover story for a women’s magazine? Conjointly, the rags-to-riches story of Mohammed Siraj proves the hypothesis that “luck favours the prepared”. His journey from receiving less than a dollar in pocket money as an auto-driver’s son to landing an IPL contract worth $365,000 as a professional cricketer, and from representing India in all three formats of the game to breaking Aussies’ backs with a fifer at Gabba, is a magical fairy tale. Wouldn’t his triumph provide an aspiring teenage cricketer with the much-needed motivation to attend that early morning practice session? Finally, in this list, I would like to make a special mention of the late Mr. Govindarao Nallam, my grandfather. Unlike other references, though you cannot find his biography on the internet, he was a local business tycoon. As a child, I used to listen to the stories my mother told me about how he started his modest business by trading packs of onions at weekly fairs. He meticulously built an empire of businesses by foraying into various ventures. His business acumen and eloquence will always be revered and remembered. For generations to come, he will be an icon of inspiration.
Inspiration is not a rare gem but rather a common stone that can be regularly observed in our surroundings. However, to perceive and absorb the available doses of inspiration, one should possess the right attitude. Also, Inspiration is contagious. When you derive your dose, consume and share within your vicinity; it spreads like wildfire and fires up people around you. So, where do you acquire your dose of inspiration and how often do you seek it? Tell me in the comments below.
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