@Susan Paynter has a great thread going regarding envying the Jone’s but I want to throw a twist in that question. Is there someone you want or wanted to be like? Many is the time I have told people to look around and if they see someone who is successful at whatever they do then do what they did if indeed, they have what you want. In essence, if you want to be successful in the widget industry then find someone who already is and copy them. As an example, a person who had the greatest influence on my Christian walk was a man named Winn Freeman. He was straight forward, didn’t mince words but was one of the most honest and kindest people I ever knew. He told folks what they needed to hear and not necessarily what they wanted to hear but at the same time he was always there to help people to heal. He was my best friend and yes, I wanted to be just like him, and still do. As a bodybuilder, there’s Reg Parks. Old school clean bodybuilding at it’s very best and I, even as a senior want to have his measurements and look like him. To be honest, I need to lose 1 1/2 inches off my waist and the rest of my measurements are about the same but I’ll never, ever be proportioned they way he was but that doesn’t stop me from trying. And to be doubly honest, he started his training periods at 0430 in the morning whilst I, fail miserably because I am still drinking coffee at that hour. There are probably a dozen more examples of people who had something that impressed me enough to want to adopt their attitude or expertise or what-have-you. Sometimes I didn’t even know that there was a part of me that was lacking until I saw someone to compare to. Everyone living is a composite of other people. Even though we have our own character, own personality and our own genetic makeup, there are those throughout our lives who have given us examples of a type of excellence that we adopted or at least tried to. Who was that and why?
Let's see, in the rodeo world, it would be Team Roping "headers" Jake Barnes or Ken "Speed" Williams. Both are World Champions, a number of times, in the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame and retired. Outside the rodeo world, my last Director/Supervisor I had for a senior healthcare company. Bachelors Degree and certified by APICS for Purchasing, Inventory Control and Production Management. Very nice guy of only a few years younger than me, who was married to a very nice RN. My wife and I met her at a company Christmas Party they attended.
I can't think of anyone that I wanted to be like but I have admired a lot of people for attitutes that liked. If I had to chose though it would be a young pastor of a church I attended years ago. My sons looked up to him and I'm thankful for that because they didn't have a true male figure in their lives to learn from.
I take it the question posed here is a person you have met. My answer is my mother. She was non-judgemental, non-comfrontational, endless love without boundaries, loved by all, quiet, and super intelligent, and well as talented. She was a devote fundamentalist Christian that dressed like Amish except with pastel colors, a highly degreed professor, and an amazing DIY lady. I inherited her love of DIY but her devout fundamentalist ways not so much, especially regarding dressing. Be that as it may, in my old age I am beginning to love wearing long skirts. I won't lie; it has more to do with laziness shaving my legs and less about modesty. Be not of poor heart my friends, old Faye is making progress in the right direction.
I know of several people I wish I had their calmer, quite like attitude about everything good or bad. People who think before they speak...versus ole lizard lips here
I've just wanted to be myself, as opposed to the person everyone else wanted or expected me to be. Being authentically yourself seems the harder task. Like the meme says -- be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
I know of others that I would like to "adopt" qualities and attitudes from, but no one I would like to copy completely. Each of us is unique.
Faye,I have had to learn how to be tactful . In the corporate world- I am every bosses nightmare - trust me