Jealousy is the third, which is understandable. After a strict selection process from thousands of potential candidates, bearing in mind that no manned mission to the moon had succeeded beforehand, were the three brave men chosen: heroes of the Space Age. All three had to endure various physical and mental tests to become what they are now, and were rewarded with a glimpse at the Earth Rise, and to be remembered with people such as Albert Einstein and William Shakespeare; truly incredible. Who would not be jealous? The first men to reach another surface, outside of Earth, and to see our home from space as the stunning blue pebble seen in pictures now so widely recognised is something that we would all love to do. 

What we have to realise though, is that we must not just be jealous. We must strive to use these men as an example that through intense determination can we achieve astounding accomplishments. This is why those three astronauts are my influences. In this world or corporate banking, overpriced handbags and mind bogglingly pointless television shows, I can aspire to be more than the average human being! Often I am (and certainly others) doubtful that these arduous series of exams and exams and exams will lead to some form of future success, but when thinking of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, they never knew if they were going to pass or not, but they kept on persevering; influencing me to persist and believe that one day, -as it did for them- that everything will all be worthwhile.  This belief is apparent particularly when I “run” cross country, where the desire to excel further than the norm is always evident, to gain that extra second because what seems like an insignificant change is in reality so much more important than a simple medal or trophy. Whenever the next step is difficult, the hunger for air is excruciating, or the last push for the end is demanding, the success of the Apollo team makes me realise that there is an end, and more importantly; a pride. 

Furthermore, in reply to this topic brief, my influence is not a person, but three people. I cannot believe in all form of reasoning how one person can influence someone; never was is there a war won by one person, and Einstein did most of his work with a team of scientists. If not for a cooperative effort, by a collaborative of people, nothing would ever happen. This is why I cannot deduce my influence to one person, and compare the three men to each other because each three men compensated for each other and worked as a team. Not only did they influence me to believe that there is a tomorrow that should be aspired to, but also that teamwork is a valued quality that all men and women should seek. 

To summarise, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins are all my influences who have affected me to aspire to become more than what is expected, to exceed the status quo and to challenge old ideas to bring forth new ones because that is what they did to achieve the accomplishment of safely reaching the moon. Not only that, but they have influenced me to whenever possible, work as a team and value friendship; because at the end of the day, they are the ones we call upon when we are in need. The sky is definitely not the limit, and there will always be someone (preferably me) that will make another step for man, and another step for mankind.