Daily Lesson from Life 05 May 2010

"Obama, Bill Clinton influential, Hillary not: TIME Tue, May 04, 2010Reuters

When it comes to influence, President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and pop star Lady Gaga have it, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton does not, according to a Time magazine list published recently.

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, South Korean skating champion Kim Yu-na, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva also made Time's 100 most-influential people list.

Time ran a separate online poll that picked Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who received more than 800,000 votes, as the winner. He is on the "heroes" section of the 100 list as well. While MM Lee of Singapore is top of the most influential thinkers!"

Every now and then you get some publications issuing the 'most beautiful people in the world', the 'most influential people in the world', etc and you get all excited about it as you know the name of some of the people on that list. Or do you?

Lessons for me are:

1. such lists are publicity for the ordinary folks, or brand building for the 'sophisticated' folks. So, recognized for what they are. Keep you head on your shoulder and keep your feet firmly on the ground EVEN if you were on these lists!;

2. this year Time Magazine list attracted criticism that it left out the President of PRC, and for the Russians, their President, Mr. Putin, and made its authenticity or authority that much weaker. Again, don't take the list too seriously;

3. as for MM Lee being the top of the influential thinkers, it is a great honor for a leader of a small and young country. His international status is very high indeed. Hopefully he realized that it is the people of his generation that executed his vision that make him great.

May someone you admired make the list next year - for whatever it is worth! ;-)