Ummut is simply a guy that I met a few times at a Table Tennis training camp. I don’t even know him very well, all I know is that he’s a very good table tennis player and a really, really nice guy.

The first time I met him I was in the canteen, he came and sat near me at the table and started chatting – it was a little bizarre but also nice, he was talking to me in an extremely relaxed manner and almost as if he thought we’d met before, though knowing him a little better now, I know this is just the way he is with everybody.

The second time I met him (1 year later) I saw him at the airport, we recognised each other, instantly started chatting, making fun of each other a little, smiling and laughing.

In short, Ummut is a guy who is clearly at ease with himself and immediately seems to put those around him at ease.

Paying Attention to People That Inspire You

It’s not that often that people *really* inspire me but when it happens, it hits me like a train.

Of course many people inspire me in small ways for lots of different reasons, whether to do with their knowledge about a particular thing, their dedication or their talent – but when someone really inspires me, I like to take notice.

I have recently written a lot about Zen and also been fascinated about a certain type of attitude, particular to my sporting ambitions but also to life itself. I would definitely describe Ummut as someone who is very ‘Zen’ and it is on this basis that he has inspired me.

In case you’re wondering, there’s very little chance that Ummut will read this and I don’t think I will show him. In any case, I don’t even have his contact details but I am pretty sure I will see him again in another year if I decide to go back to that Table Tennis training camp.

What Would Ummut Do?

So what I’m suggesting here is that when you find someone who really inspires you, it’s worth paying attention to that, underline it, highlight it, circle it. This person is a role model for you and that can be very useful.

Ummut is a role model for me. Whenever I am feeling frustrated, angry or any kind of negative, unhelpful emotions. When I am in a particularly stressful, frustrating or difficult situation, I know how I want to be, how I want to react or how I want to behave, it’s just, my guess is that Ummut would be better at the kind of reaction, thoughts and behaviour that I’m aiming for, so in these difficult times I find myself asking: What would Ummut do?