Who has inspired me and why

I was asked this question the other week and I didn’t have an answer so I’ve been thinking about it ever since. 

It’s a hard question to answer as I had to reflect back on my life and really interrogate not just who inspired me but why. So I’ve come up with five people.

1. My mother

My mother, Evie, lived a life that was not intellectually fulfilling as she had to leave school at 15 and work in her father’s dental practice. She was intelligent and later in life went to university. She suffered from depression most of her life but you would never had known it, and certainly back in the 1970s-1990s it was NEVER discussed.

She was intellectually engaged, energetic and never short of an opinion, encouraged me to pursue my passions and was courageous.

2. Indigenous Australians

As the longest continuous culture on the planet Indigenous Australians have a unique and outstanding tradition of storytelling, commonly know as Songlines that form the very heart and soul of their culture and relationship with the land. Their deep, spiritual connection to the land is something that captures my heart and head.

3. Umberto Eco – Novelist and essayist

I am simply in awe of Eco’s writing, both his novels (Name of the Rose and  among others) and essay writing (too numerous to list but two favourites are On Literature and Chronicles of a liquid society.

As a writer there’s nothing better than reading great writing, it’s inspiring on the one hand and keeps you humble on the other, ‘If only I could write as well as he can.’

4. Christopher Hitchens and Gore Vidal

Again, these two were brilliant writers and prove the point that writing books means that your knowledge, thoughts, insights and observations can live on past your death.

I find myself delving into their numerous books to reread specific pieces they wrote or just to get inspired by great writing.

5. Winston Churchill

Apart from his prolific writing, quips and speeches (and winning World War II) I am inspired by his sheer tenacity, focus and self belief. When I had to close my business post the GFC I bought myself a journal with some of Winston’s words on the front cover. ‘Never, never, never give up.’ There were days when I wanted to, days when I thought I would simply have to, but I didn't.

As I share with people now, it’s not an experience I’d recommend for anyone but I learned a lot about myself and it forced me to reinvent what I was doing, ahead of most others in the business publishing industry.

Who inspires you and why? Share in the comments below.