Meeting My Inspirations: A Journey from Hesitation to Aspiration

I was 8 years old, at my friend Yash’s birthday party. The cake was inspired by Lightning McQueen from the movie “Cars.” Everyone was served a slice. I finished mine but wanted another. I looked at my friend’s mother, but the words refused to come out. I was so hesitant to ask that I just avoided it.

As an introvert, meeting and talking to new people has always been something I avoided, whether it was peers in school, relatives, or even waiters, receptionists, and cashiers. At one point, my fear was so extreme that I avoided new places and experiences just to escape the need for interaction.

However, this was never the case with those who inspired me, the ones I aspired to be like. I always wanted to talk to them, to know more about them. Perhaps it was curiosity or a desire to emulate them, but I consistently pushed myself to interact with them. Yes, I would get nervous, but my aspiration to be like them always overpowered my fear.

I realised this first when I spoke to my dad’s best friend, an industrialist, for the first time when I was 13. His way of talking, presenting himself, and specifying his point with a dominant personality was eye-opening. It was like a sudden flick in my head when I realised I needed to be like him. Even today, whenever I see him, I feel overpowered because his personality is so commanding, but I still make an effort to talk to him, get his insights about things I am interested in, and seek guidance.

There are very few people I am genuinely eager to talk to, and I met two of them in July 2024. This was when I was looking for apprenticeships. I had emailed Kush Agarwal, the CEO of YelloSkye, requesting an apprenticeship. He replied a week later, but by then I had already accepted an apprenticeship offer from another firm. I eventually met him during my apprenticeship when he visited my college. He spoke about work-life balance, priorities in life, and his achievements in the aviation industry. Aviation has been my passion since childhood, and I am determined to build my career in it. Ever since I heard about him after joining Let’s Enterprise, I was eager to meet him. His success story has always been an inspiration to me.

His views on “Priorities in Life” were so relatable, emphasising that it is only possible to prioritise three things in working life out of seven: health, family, money, job satisfaction, friends, sleep, and mental health. After my meeting with him, I focused only on the three most important aspects, and it significantly helped me mentally. I felt lighter and relieved.

The next person I met was Prachi Shavgaonkar. I was selected for a podcast with her. I didn’t know much about her initially, but after viewing her LinkedIn profile, it was clear she was a wonder woman. With all she had achieved by the age of 23, it was truly inspiring. Within five minutes of our first meeting, it felt like I had known her for years. Any nervousness or fear I had disappeared quickly. The podcast went great; we talked about everything from cup noodles to vada pav. I realised how confident she was in every situation—whether entering a room, speaking, or listening. I always wanted to be confident, and after trying for three years, I did gain some, at least enough to talk to strangers now, but Prachi’s confidence was at the next level. I know confidence is crucial in today’s age to succeed, and she is definitely an inspiration.

I hope this journey of meeting my inspirations continues. Such moments are life-changing. You never know what they might say that resonates with you so deeply or motivates you to understand your life’s goals, work hard to achieve them, and become as successful—or even more so—than they are. And even after that, you will always be grateful to them for showing you the path.

When it comes to interacting with regular people, I still find it difficult to approach them and strike up a conversation. Hesitation often holds me back, and for much of my life, this made me feel under confident.

But now, I realise that when it comes to people I look up to—those who are significantly ahead of me in various aspects—I genuinely look forward to talking to them. My underconfidence vanishes in their presence. While there is always a touch of nervousness, my desire to learn from them and connect with them overpowers any hesitation!

It makes me realise that I am an ambitious person. It fills me with a belief that one day, these people will also recognize me and my work. And someday, I might become an inspiration for many others. This realisation fills me with a sense of ease and an insatiable hunger to keep learning and growing.

– Ibrahim