How I Imitated Bill Clinton Blindly

Inspired by Bill Clinton, one of the lights of my life, I ran for a political seat in the 2013 general elections just as he had done in his 20s. And yikes! I failed to radiate the kind of charisma he had at my age.

That, I later realized, was because unlike Clinton, I hadn't hit Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000-hour rule of success. You see, Clinton became interested in politics at a young age.

During his high school years, he visited the White House, where he shook President Kennedy's hand. Then when he was a first-year student at Georgetown University, he was elected student body president.

Over the holidays, he went back to his home state of Arkansas to campaign for his favourite politicians, an experience that familiarised him with the state where he began his political career several years later.

With a strong interest in public service, he won the prestigious Rhodes scholarship. He wrote in his scholarship essay that he wanted to study at Oxford to mold an intellect that could stand the pressures of political life.

After a two-year stint at Oxford where he read hundreds of books, he flew back to the U.S. and pursued a law degree at Yale. While there, he campaigned for George McGovern, the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee.

So Clinton had already hit Gladwell's 10,000-hour rule of success when he was running for a political seat in his 20s. And here was me imitating him, yet I had no political experience. How foolish I was!

**********************
RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story, you might also enjoy "Cultivating Love".