While reading the book The Power of 100! it asks the question “Who Do You Admire?” and to be honest I struggled to come up with the 4 people he asked the reader to write down. Not that I don’t admire a lot of people for different reasons but it just threw me for a loop. I don’t work well under pressure.
How do you limit it to just 4 people you admire?
The author listed people like Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and his mother. Would my list be as profound. I am not a history buff so most likely not. It can be any person past or present and it can be any person known to you or not. Someone you want to be more like, motivates you, or is just an amazing person. So when I thought about it I came up with these four:
My Dad – From the time I was seven my Dad became a single parent to two kids. We were a handful and we needed a lot, as most kids do. From the sports we played, clothes we needed, and all the mood swings I know I put him through. He always provided even though I know some years were a real struggle for him. He gave all he had including his time. He is the person I most admire.
Chalene Johnson – She is a huge fitness trainer and I first saw her on an infomercial and fell in love with her TurboFire workout. I like her even more for her commitment to family, her goal setting program (The 30 Day Push) and her desire to help people live the happiest life they can possibly live. She also started as a fitness instructor and built an empire which is very admirable. Her workouts are the only ones I want to do two years after buying and not get sick of her, like with some other DVD’s. Learn more about her here.
Who Do You Admire?
These are great choices. Julia Child is a favorite of mine too, and HBO did a great movie about Alice Paul years ago…I think Hillary Swank played her. I’ve never heard of Charlene, but the more you write about your dad, the more we can all see what a hero he is…in so many ways. What a role model!
Yes, Hilary Swank was in it and placed Alice Paul, it was called Iron Jawed Angels. My Dad was a hero, in a time where most Dad’s didn’t get custody he fought hard to get to raise us no matter how tough it was for him.
What a terrific post!!! I love that picture of your dad!! I seriously love all the people you chose and the reasons behind why you admire them!! I love Julia Child, most her tenacity and attitude make me love her!! I have to say I admire my parents most – for leaving the country they knew for over 30 years and starting a brand new life in a foreign one so that they children could have a better life was beyond life changing for them, but for my sister and myself!! 🙂
Julia Child made such a path for women in the cooking industry and for TV personalities like Rachel Ray. That must have been so tough for your parents but they wanted a better life for their kids, and that is so admirable!
love seeing women who started careers later in life. gives me hope!!
Me too. I keep putting off other avenues because I feel too old but then I have to remember that if Julia did it so can I, right?
Every woman in this country owes a lot to and could learn a lot from Alice Paul, but unfortunately most people don’t even know who she is.
I also admire Julia Childs – she seems like she had FUN. Even when there was no fun to be had. I like that.
Great list! Your dad is a wonderful man.
The amount she endured for so long, is astounding. It is sad that people don’t know more about her. She was such a pioneer in her day, and she was very funny, in her cheeky way.
I thank my lucky stars every day that I got him for a Dad, that man give his whole heart into raising us, even when it almost broke him.
What a wonderful post!! Your father is a wonderful man, You are a lucky girl.
Thank you. I really am so very lucky to have him for a Dad. He was so self-less and giving of everything he had.
You have such a great and diverse list- lots of different reasons to admire all the folks listed. Love what you said about your dad and I definitely need to check out Turbofire!
Thank you. I like to be well rounded! 😉 He is such a great person, and he did so much for us. It is seriously such a fun workout and she doesn’t get annoying, though when she says “You’re not tired.” I sure do yell back “Yes I am!”. Ha!
This is such a great post- you look so much like your dad! This is such a good question to ponder- I haven’t heard of that book but I want to check it out now.
Thank you. Yes, I get a lot of my features from him, my brother is like a spitting image of him. It is such a great book for setting goals, thinking about your life in general and making things happen. There are not many self-help books I like but this is one of them.
Oh let’s see..I admire my mom for going back to school when we were growing up and finishing her Master’s degree. I admire people who dedicate their lives to causes they believe in- travel, civil rights, motherhood.
That is very impressive, going back to school is hard. Dedicating fully to a cause is very admirable.
Oh wow this is sweet AND educational! love this !
Thank you. My Dad deserved top spot but some really inspirational women too.
Wow! I admire your dad too…good for him! How lucky you are 🙂
I was very lucky! He really sacrificed a lot.
Your dad is awesome.
I love stories about people who started careers later in life. Laura Ingalls, Julia Child, Kurt Sutter, and there are a few actresses/actors who did but their names are escaping me right now. It’s good motivation for when I think I’m too old.
I honestly don’t know who I would pick. Such a hard question!
I am always talking myself out of things, thinking I am too old so it is good motivation. It was so hard, it really stumped me at first.
Great people to admire! I love Julia Childs. I wish she were still alive so she could cook for me.
She was such a fun cook. Would love to be able to learn from her, and if she cooked me a meal I wouldn’t complain. 😉
These are all really great choices!
Thank you!
Love that your dad is on this list!!
And, Chalean is one of my all time favorites!!! You know she is going to be on Kelly & Michael Friday, right??
He is the best! Yes, I am all set to record it! I have PiYo but I am haven’t done it much. I am not at all bendy!
I am with Kim, I love that your dad is on the list AND he’s first. He sounds like an amazing guy!
I had no idea who Julia Childs or who Alice Paul were. Now that I know I am very grateful for them! I cannot imagine being a woman in previous generations. I am inspired by both of these two 🙂
He is so amazing and sacrificed so much for us. They were both such pioneers.
i think these are amazing choices girly. if i had to think about it i doubt i could come up with more than my mum. but after reading your post it definitely made me think about people i admire who i don’t know in real life. i love julia childs, but hadn’t heard of alice paul before.
It caught me by surprised and was stumped other than my Dad, but it made me think. Alice Paul helped give us the right to vote which is a big thumbs up for me, but her grit and determination for what is right gave me so much respect for her struggle.
I admire my mom, and I really do want to be just like her when I grow up 🙂 What I admire most is how selfless she is.
That is a great quality to have and she sounds like a great role model.
Your dad sounds like an amazing man! Kudos to him for raising two kids.
He is so amazing. He did a lot with what he had and very kind hearted too even though he would kill me for telling people his secret.
I love your list! Your did is so handsome! Maybe I need to give Chalene a try…for whatever reason I follow her on Facebook, but have never really looked into her workouts.
Why thank you. *blushing* Oh my word, do it!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her workouts. Whenever I workout at home it is to one of her DVD’s. I always burn a ton of calories with TurboFire.
Awe, this was sweet!!!!
On a side note, you have pushed me to my next work out series. I had considered Chalene before I did T25 and Body Beast but wasn’t sure and now I most certainly want to do it next!! Jillian gets on my nerves after the first day!
Thank you. I hope you like it. I have her TurboFire, Chalene Extreme and PiYo and she is motivating without screaming at you. She is very positive and doesn’t crack stupid jokes which can get old.
How sweet what you wrote about your Dad 🙂
I watched a movie once about Julia Childs.. my Mom told me I needed to watch. I believe Meryl Streep played Julia? I also have a book about her but I haven’t read it yet.. Ooops.
He deserves every word. 🙂 Yes, I’ve seen that one too Meryl was so good as Julia. She really paved the way for people who wanted to branch out and cook at home.
I admire my dad, too. His dad made him quit school at 12 when his mom died. He is functionally illiterate and worked hard, 10 hour days, and sometimes Saturdays until he was 62. Never missed work and would come home and help care for all of us, even getting up at night with us. Now he cares for my mom who has Parkinson’s going on 5 years. #myhero
Love, SMD’s Momma
What an amazing man. That must have been so hard for him but he persevered. You are very lucky to have him.
Sooooooo incredibly sweet what you said about your dad! He sounds awesome. Your other picks are good too but that one touched my heart 🙂
He is amazing, and so kind hearted. He did so much even when he had very little. A real hero.
The beauty about the people we admire is how they speak to us and encourage us – even if no one else in the world knows who they are. I really admire my sister. She’s brave and confident in ways that she doesn’t even realize but that inspire me daily.
So very true. Everyone we meet can touch and inspire us in many ways. So great you have such a sister to stand in your corner and inspire.