I take inspiration from many people, whether it be through meeting them or reading about them. I really enjoy reading about people and the lives they've led, because it makes me reflect on the kind of life I'm living as well and what might be written about it should someone choose to write a biography of me.
Anyway, I feel like I shouldn't be putting this person because I'm only going off of a vague memory of an article I read months ago, but I remember her being somebody I found particularly inspiring. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to find the article again and remember why it pleased me so much:
Dated May 5, 2015, the article is called "Today's the birthday of the most badass woman traveler ever."
Go ahead and read it, because I'm too lazy to type up a summary here. Anyway, what struck me about Nellie Bly was her absolute determination to do what she felt she deserved to be doing, despite what people around her thought she should be doing. As a journalist in the USA she already accomplished some impressive things and had an impact on the workings of her society, but what's more, she set off to see the rest of the world in 72 days as a way of proving she could beat the 80 day record from that Jules Verne story, just through trains and steamers (and obviously an indomitable charisma). The article calls her the patron saint of badass solo female travelers everywhere, and I believe it, hence making her a very worthy inspirational figure.
Reading about how she was able to lead a crazy adventurous life, still make a name for herself in her career, and have a positive impact on the people around her really awes me and makes me want to do something similar with my own life. I already know some phrases that'll be thrown around in an article honoring me in the future–
"island girl who ended up writing her senior thesis in social anthropology about a landlocked country"
"speaks ten languages and has friends in more countries than she can count" (Disclaimer: I only have six languages, but at some point it'll probably reach ten)
"also a classical pianist, artist, and writer who can't live without art"
"never travels without her ukulele"
"willing to eat anything"
"went to Harvard but never really got engulfed by the bubble its students live in since she was always thinking of the world beyond its red bricked buildings"
So yeah, for the person in the future who's going to write a biography about me, here's your starting material. Use it wisely.
Anyway, I feel like I shouldn't be putting this person because I'm only going off of a vague memory of an article I read months ago, but I remember her being somebody I found particularly inspiring. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to find the article again and remember why it pleased me so much:
Dated May 5, 2015, the article is called "Today's the birthday of the most badass woman traveler ever."
Go ahead and read it, because I'm too lazy to type up a summary here. Anyway, what struck me about Nellie Bly was her absolute determination to do what she felt she deserved to be doing, despite what people around her thought she should be doing. As a journalist in the USA she already accomplished some impressive things and had an impact on the workings of her society, but what's more, she set off to see the rest of the world in 72 days as a way of proving she could beat the 80 day record from that Jules Verne story, just through trains and steamers (and obviously an indomitable charisma). The article calls her the patron saint of badass solo female travelers everywhere, and I believe it, hence making her a very worthy inspirational figure.
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| That look on her face says it all |
"island girl who ended up writing her senior thesis in social anthropology about a landlocked country"
"speaks ten languages and has friends in more countries than she can count" (Disclaimer: I only have six languages, but at some point it'll probably reach ten)
"also a classical pianist, artist, and writer who can't live without art"
"never travels without her ukulele"
"willing to eat anything"
"went to Harvard but never really got engulfed by the bubble its students live in since she was always thinking of the world beyond its red bricked buildings"
So yeah, for the person in the future who's going to write a biography about me, here's your starting material. Use it wisely.
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