2019 has had a series of incredible people who have doubtlessly impacted me. The collection is quite massive again, however, here’s a compiled list of a few who I would like to share.
Gary Vaynerchuk
The year began with perhaps the most operative man I know – Gary Vee. The first thing about him that comes to mind is “hustle“. And as far as I’m aware, he lives that label.
He’s a businessman, New York Times Bestseller and an Internet Personality. I discovered him through his extensive social media popularity. The content is mostly focused on how to build businesses and how to do online marketing. I’ve learnt many useful things from his content, however, there are arguably more I’ve learnt from his personality.
Hustle – Despite his role as the CEO of several companies, he creates digital content and does events worldwide. Such an amount of work requires a lot of hard work and determination. The consistency with which he has maintained his work is incredible! He is truly an inspiration for me in that aspect.
Although, one thing that struck me when I started consuming his content was the sheer amount of profanity. It was very unexpected…
Jordan Peterson
He is either somebody “people love or love to hate”. He is a clinical psychologist, a lecturer at the University of Toronto and a New York Times Bestseller. He started producing content on Youtube regarding the Bill C-16 which was a proposition to update the “Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code”. The update involved the requirement of using the correct gender pronouns for the LGBTQ+ community. His idea is that such a requirement is outrageous as it’s against basic freedom of speech. This has stirred up lots of support and criticism but has sparked up lots of attention.
Although he’s popular for this, Peterson has extraordinary lectures and explanations about humans and psychological topics. I’ve started watching his series about the idea of God and there’s heaps of knowledge to gain from it.
Ali Abdaal
Where do I start? He has perhaps had the biggest impact on me in 2019. From study tips, tech recommendations and productivity hacks to maintaining friendships, managing time and reading, Ali has taught me a tremendous amount of stuff. He’s a junior doctor working at Cambridge and he maintains his own business, a podcast and a Youtube channel alongside his study/work life. If there’s one person I would ask “How do you do so much?”, it would be Ali.
I have been subscribed to his weekly email newsletter about life advice from the beginning of 2019 and I’ve read every letter. This is not to brag; it’s because I love his newsletter! It’s so motivational and has wonderful life teachings(particularly about managing time effectively to achieve your goals). His Youtube channel is mainly focused on studying and revision tips alongside tech and medicine related content. I first discovered his channel when I was looking for effective study methods and they’ve assisted me in my revision towards exams. If you’re a student, Ali is someone who can inspire you and help you to improve in your study life.
Nathaniel Drew
Another minimalist this year!
Minimalist summary: Drew has taught me to do self-improvement experiments.
Non-minimalist summary: Drew is a Youtuber and a traveller and at my first impression, his content was beautiful. His videos were meaningful and the production quality was high. He’s another young person and at a young age, he’s learning many things by experimenting with himself. This fundamental idea is the basis of his videos and it appealed to me. He does various experiments including cold showers, meditation, practising famous peoples’ routines and pushing out of comfort zones. From his content, I’ve been able to both enjoy it and apply his experiments to myself. He encouraged me to practice meditation during the summer and I felt satisfied that I was able to form my experiments and practise them regularly.
Kraig Adams
I think you’re going to be tired of minimalists because here’s another one…
Minimalist summary: Kraig has taught me to travel more and explore more of nature.
Non-minimalist summary: Kraig is a traveller and Youtuber. He mostly does solo hiking for long durations in beautiful trekking spots around the world. His videos follow a nice theme of pleasant music and scenic locations allowing you to appreciate the beauty of nature. They are mainly his documentations of his experience so don’t involve much commentary, however, there’s still much to be learned from his experiences.
He’s been an inspiration for me to hike and discover more ecstatic locations of our Mother Nature. As a result, we did 3 beautiful hikes in 2019 – Skafelpike, Box Hill and Cleeve Hill Ring.
Grant Sanderson
Some of you might despise maths. And it’s probably because some ideas are just too complex! Grant is here for you.
Grant maintains a Youtube channel called “3blue1brown” which is an educational mathematical channel focused on both teaching maths intuitively and attempting challenging problems. He’s been featured in the famous Khan Academy platform and his explanations are gold. He makes you rethink maths!
I am currently watching his Calculus series and I understood it better from his series than at school 🙂 The videos feature clear animations and straightforward visualisations which add to the intuitive explanations. Each video has so much to learn about and appreciate.
Despite not discovering many entrepreneurs in 2019, I have learnt many lessons from great people. I will carry each lesson forward and continue to learn and discover even more people in 2020. I wish you a Happy New Year!
2018 blog – Great People I’ve discovered in 2018
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