I somewhat believe that everyone you meet ever has some sort of influence on you. I tried to only list immediate family members so that I'd have a chance to list non-family members. Either way, here goes!
1. Mom. Obviously, your parents have the biggest role in shaping you as a person. Aside from the obvious physical genetic influences from my mother, I also inherited her math ability. This was made better by her encouragement. Additionally, my mom encouraged me to stay in piano and grounded me so that I did well in school (Note: I was only ever grounded when I had avoided homework to the point where my grade dropped below a 75%.) As I get older, I notice more and more of my mom's mannerisms. Sometimes I'll say something or react to a situation and I'll realize that I'm handling it just like her. Alternatively, sometimes I'll wish I did react more like her. For example, when I get crazy emotional.
2. Dad. My dad, like my mom, always encouraged me to be the best I could. Additionally, he'd be more obviously proud of my achievements or good work, which further motivated me to achieve. (He also was probably part of the decision to ground me, but I still for some reason remember it as Mom grounding me every time. Probably because I was more intimidated by Dad. He's really tall.) My dad instilled a strong sense of respect in me: respect for my parents, for my elders, and for other authority figures in my life. I inherited less of his mannerisms than of my mom, but I think that's probably because I don't have the confidence to be as funny as he is.He and Mom both also gave me my work ethic. I don't really believe in personal "sick" days or working below my potential because of them. This has proven very helpful in the professional world.
3. Mr. Manning. He was my middle school math teacher. He was an exceptional teacher, and I chose math teaching as my profession because of him.
4. Ms. Donna. She was my piano teacher. I often described her as a second mom in my life. She helped keep me on track in high school and gave me opportunities to teach piano and expand my abilities.
5. Jeff C. My boyfriend senior year of high school and class valedictorian. I'm pretty sure dating him is why I graduated with such great grades senior year. Studying with him really helped. He also helped me realize how intelligent I actually am with or without his help.
6.Trish. My older sister. She's the person that made me first realize how to dress nicely and apply makeup. She was an example for me of how to interact socially and not be a complete loser. I always wanted to be just like her in middle school. She helped me learn how to come out of my shell.
7. Judy. My roomate for 3/4 years of college. She helped me start working out regularly and be a more "green" person. I recycle more and am more conscious of water usage and how much meat from terrible places I am eating regularly. I try to make an effort to combat this because of her.
8. Angry girl on Facebook. Once, someone posted a status and a terribly idiotic, rude, mean girl posted an ignorant response in reply. Leah's husband posted a calm response against hers, and her response was incredibly rude and belittling and idiotic and ignorant. So I posted. I don't know what I expected, but she of course attacked back. Instead of stepping down, I retaliated. Usually, I think I have a sort of verbal filter, but this time I let loose. I used my intelligence and words to try to tear her down and hurt her deep inside. A few posts in, I apologized and removed all of my posts. Luckily, I don't think anything I said actually reached her, as her responses were as ignorant and angry as ever, and she actually posted my apology as her status to gloat. But I felt so ashamed for weeks after that event. Because of that one girl, I am always careful about what I say and I never allow myself to be as mean or hateful as I know I could. The shame from that post keeps me from trying to tear others down with my words.
9. I'm running out of people and want to go to bed. My other roomate freshman year, not Judy. We did not get along and she was very passive aggressive. This taught me two things. Firstly, even if you try to handle things the mature way, that doesn't mean everyone else will. Some people are just immature. I was actually pretty immature as the year went on, too, so I'm not innocent, but I still believe I was at first. Secondly, some people will just never get along and you have to deal with it. It's life. I am better at dealing with awkward situations with people because of her.
10. Mike. My husband has helped calm me down and focus on our life together. I am no longer frantic and alone, I am peaceful and whole and love him very much. He also keeps me focused on working out, eating healthy, provides me with a good life, and helps me manage money better.
I know I didn't mention Jess and Leah. It's because I can't really pinpoint how they influenced me because they are so closely involved in my life. They were both over tonight and we all had our husbands and were on some big triple date thing. I cooked burgers and baked potatoes and we played a game called Small World that is some mix between Risk and Magic the Gathering. We tried swimming earlier in the day but the water was too cold. Goodnight!
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