Who do you look up to??

[Mattman27]

I'm curious! Who do you look up to and why? It can be body, fitness, life, business, career, accomplishments, whatever, I just want to know Who inspires you?? And it can be alive, dead, real person, character in movie/book/etc. anything! And here we go!

[girljen]

My twin brother!

 

Seriously.  Dude is AMAZING.  He hasn't owned a car in about seven years--he doesn't need one.  He rides his bike everywhere--even up to the mountains for weekend camping trips.  He rides centuries for fun.  He toured Costa Rica on his bike a couple years ago!  He climbs, too, like a freakin' spider monkey.  He looks like he could have been chiseled from marble.

 

He graduated from college this Saturday, only the second person in our family to do so (and the only one in our group of siblings).  But while that is a huge accomplishment, for him, it's just a checkpoint.  In August, he'll be starting medical school.

 

He doesn't just try things out.  He doesn't stick his toe in.  Most people apply the phrase "Go big or go home" to relatively minor things like how far to push the speed limit or whether to upsize that meal.  Not him.  In fact, though he embodies the phrase, I've never heard him use it. He doesn't make noise for its own sake.  He just throws himself into whatever he's doing, whether that's school (graduated with honors!) or work (he's an EMT-Basic who teaches paramedics and physicians about transgender-specific health concerns at our state's EMS conference!) or health (from what he calls "treating [his] body like a toxic waste dump" to what I described above).  And the things he throws himself into are so healthy and so compassionate and so right!

 

I want to be awesome like him.

[Waldo]

I'm inspired by a lot of professional athletes.  Especially the best of the best.  I love watching pro athlete training videos and whatnot.

 

Over time you realize it isn't that they do something super duper special, or have insanely hard workouts, no they really aren't that different.  Consistency.  Punching the clock every day.  Attention to detail. 

[cline]

Benjamin Franklin. 

 

No lie.

[I-Jo]

 I love watching pro athlete training videos and whatnot.

 

 

^^^ I love those videos.  The dedication is inspiring.  

[starpuck]

Starbuck and Sidney Crosby.  

 

Starbuck because she's a bad ass, and I like seeing strong women doing bad ass things.   She hangs with the guys, knocks them around, is a better viper jock than most of them.    She's just.  Strong.  And I love it.

 

Crosby because (while haters will hate) he is, at the heart of it all, a skilled grinder.   He loves the game, and he will do anything to be the best he can be.    He's been knocked down by injury after injury, and everytime someone says 'Is this the end of Sid's career' - he climbs back and gets out there and dominates.    You hear about his work ethic, and how he constantly works on what he needs to improve.  He's not complacent.  He's persistent.   And he doesn't give up.    He's not even my favorite player, but seeing what he puts into it ... if there was one player I could mimic as far as drive and work ethic, it's him.

[I-Jo]

meh- Malkin > Crosby

 

but I ain't mad at ya

[starpuck]

meh- Malkin > Crosby

 

but I ain't mad at ya

 

I can fix that real easy.      Here's a clue as to who my favorite player is.

(This is me in my team jersey)  

 

[Deanna]

 

 

Starbuck because she's a bad ass, and I like seeing strong women doing bad ass things.   She hangs with the guys, knocks them around, is a better viper jock than most of them.    She's just.  Strong.  And I love it.

 

 

 

I <3 Starbuck!!  I just finished season one on Netflix and the first time they showed her I was in awe.

[starpuck]

I <3 Starbuck!!  I just finished season one on Netflix and the first time they showed her I was in awe.

 

Hee Awesome Deanna!   I haven't finished the series yet either.   I made a promise to only watch new episodes with my friend who begged me to watch this years ago and we don't get to see each other TOO often.    Keep watching though.   The series is so fantastic.

[Deanna]

My biggest hurdle to watching right now is that my netflix is acting up!  It's freezing every 30 seconds. Must. Replace. Modem. 

Hee Awesome Deanna!   I haven't finished the series yet either.   I made a promise to only watch new episodes with my friend who begged me to watch this years ago and we don't get to see each other TOO often.    Keep watching though.   The series is so fantastic.

[terrormortus]

In all honestly Walt from Gran Torino.

 

He may be an anti-social racist old man, but he has genuine compassion for other people and a code of ethics that I really admire. Plus he has an awesome car, knows how to do all sorts of manly things, he's just pretty awesome.

[The Cavalier]

Rocky Bleier former running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He made the Steelers in the early 70's and then went to Vietnam.  While there he had both his feet shattered when a grenade blew up in his fighting hole.  Doctors said he'd never walk again.  However, through sheer determination he came back to not only walk but make the Steelers again AND he was a thousand yard rusher TWICE behind none other than Franco Harris.  That's inspirational to me.

[Wolfhorde]

People who have an insurmountable dedication to what they're doing, be it sports, martial arts or music. From Damien Walters, some Football & Rugby players to musicians like Benny Greb, Jojo Mayer, Colin Stetson and Al Di Meola. Moreso if the odds were stacked against them.

[obax]

My real-life hero is

, partly for the linked video but mostly because he's awesome. And who doesn't love an astronaut? Actually, I really admire his passion and ability to inspire an interest in, and love for, science in kids and the general public, as well as his intense curiosity about what's out there. I'd love to meet this guy one day, but I'd be so tongue-tied I'd probably barely manage a 'hello'...

 

Fictional heros: Optimus Prime, Spock, Sherlock Holmes. They each embody a quality (or several) that I aspire to in my own life (an unfailing commitment to do what's right; the ability to let logic and reason rule over emotion; and an unfailing commitment to fact-based discovery, the doggedness necessary to solve any problem or mystery and uncover any unknown, and the knowledge and intelligence to parse out what's true/real and what's not, respectively).