Role Model for Positive Thinking plus determined Effort

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheena_Iyengar
Sheena Iyengar was born in Toronto, Canada in 1969. Her parents had emigrated there from Delhi, India. In 1972, Iyengar’s family moved to Flushing, Queens, where her father helped establish the first permanent Sikh temple; and in 1979, the family moved to Elmwood Park, New Jersey. Iyengar grew up in a bicultural environment, observing the tenets of Sikhism with her family but partaking in American culture outside of the home.

When Iyengar was three years old, she was diagnosed with a rare form of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease of retinal degeneration. By 6th grade, Iyengar had lost the ability to read, and by 11th grade, she had lost her sight entirely and could only perceive light. Iyengar’s life had also taken another turn in high school; when she was 13, her father died of a heart attack.

In Iyengar’s book, The Art of Choosing, she explains how these seemingly random events and external influences, which shaped her life, led her to become interested in choice:

"My parents had chosen to come to this country, but they had also chosen to hold on to as much of India as possible. They lived among other Sikhs, followed closely the tenets of their religion, and taught me the value of obedience. What to eat, wear, study, and later on, where to work and whom to marry—I was to allow these to be determined by the rules of Sikhism and by my family’s wishes. 

But in public school I learned that it was not only natural but desirable that I should make my own decisions. It was not a matter of cultural background or personality or abilities; it was simply what was true and right. For a blind Sikh girl otherwise subject to so many restrictions, this was a very powerful idea. I could have thought of my life as already written, which would have been more in line with my parents’ views. Or I could have thought of it as a series of accidents beyond my control, which was one way to account for my blindness and my father’s death. However, it seemed much more promising to think of it in terms of choice, in terms of what was still possible and what I could make happen."

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Sheena Iyengar about herself, marriage to Garud Iyengar, family:http://www.columbia.edu/~ss957/about.shtml 

Extract:

"I met the man, Garud Iyengar, who would one day become my husband. We were both waiting for the Marguerite bus at the top of the oval, he with a torn ligament, me just being lazy. Garud asked me to join him for lunch at the Thai Cafe. That was December of 1993. On July 6th, 1997, we got married in a traditional wedding in Bangalore, India. We both joined the faculty of Columbia University in 1998. I teach in the business school, and he teaches in the school of engineering."

TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing.html