I have been blessed to have an abundance of inspiration in my life from people who strive to be the best forms of themselves every day. It is my belief that these people deserve all the credit for everything I am and have accomplished. However, my single most profound source of inspiration has and always will be my mom. My mom inspires me to pursue everything with only the utmost passion and enjoyment. She is something of a philosopher when it comes to lecturing in that she tries to be constructive. In lieu of yelling, she teaches me that things like attitude and perspective can trump all obstacles. One of my favorite quotes is actually something she tells me all the time in Hindi which roughly translates to “I am not of this world; this world is of me.” The meaning of this very simple proverb is that if I do not exist and give meaning to the world through my consciousness, in reality there is no world at all. This idea I carry with me through every challenge and hardship I face. It is a constant reminder that any negativity in my life is solely the result of my own willingness to allow it to be there. I am truly the shaper of my own destiny. Every quality I have is at least in part because of my mom. Self-empowerment, humble ambition, and gaining by giving are just a few on a very long list of her mottoes that I follow doggedly. I see my mom as a shining example of a tirelessly positive and eternally happy human being, and I am grateful to call a person like that my mentor and friend. I can proudly say that, yes, I am a mama’s boy.