May 2023 Topic: Share about someone you admire or look up to.
By Sharon Loduca, Real Estate Professional in Ontario, Canada
I consider it torturous to narrow it down to ONE person that I admire or look up to. It is easy for me to, at first glance, look at some famous person and admire them. But all we really know far too often is a social-facing persona only. That does not mean that they are not worthy of my admiration of course. It just means I don’t really know them. I guess what I’m saying is the depth of admiration for me would be equal to the depth of how I know them. Indeed, it does spur me on, when I listen to a famous song or read a book by a well-known author, that was birthed from broken pieces, and I connect with it. I also admire anyone who has had the cards stacked high against them, yet, rose high above it, built a great life, and allowed the challenges to grow them. In a world where everything we do in business and personally has a large online presence, we “connect” with countless numbers of people during the day, sometimes in mere seconds. And it could seem like we know them. On another social platform, we get to talk about that ‘friend’ we have, or how many ‘friends’ we have, sometimes thousands of them. And it can seem like we know them.
Ironically, what I write here will end up online, on social media. And I do believe in all the powers and abilities we have, with great ease, to ‘meet’ the world at our fingertips, and to contribute to a whole society or touch one person, in mere seconds.
Life moves at such a fast pace and seems to accelerate continually. The to-do list is never-ending. We live in a me-ism society. We have so many demands to meet, and often more bills than money, and more pressures than ease. But at this very moment, I get to time out, turn off my phone, enjoy a coffee, shut out all the other stuff, and reflect on those who I admire, and perhaps even more importantly, why I admire them.
- I think of a very brave young teenager who had her own challenges and broken places yet went on to have 12 children. Without the help of Google, or wealth, living remotely, forging ahead on a daily basis, to build her understanding of home & family. How I wish she had the tools we have today to help her understand, conquer, and share those events that fueled her decisions and behaviours. What I very much admire about her is how she forged ahead anyway. How she took what she understood to be best practices and implemented them; how she had such strong focus and determination. Without any accolades, or page likes, how she always wanted to do the ‘right’ thing. Not thoughts of it can’t be done, or why me. Just owning what needed to be done – and doing it. Not thoughts of what happens if I fail. There was no time or room for that. She just did. And kept doing. And obstacles might have been setbacks, but only for a season. She just always rose up. How can I not admire that?
- I think of a woman in a terrible marriage, living in a small town, where everyone knows everything about everyone else. I think of the oppression and challenges in her life. Yet, any time I saw her, she was humming. She had a connection deep down in her soul. She knew who she was. She carried on doing her best to care for her family. She did it all, regardless of some really difficult circumstances, with a song in her heart. And it was so deep in her heart, she had to let it out. She hummed. Always hummed. Pleasant and kind. The circumstances were real. But so what the song in her heart. And she always let it rise to the top, and bring life. How can I not admire that?
- I think of a very young woman who was born with an every-looming death sentence because of a birth defect. Every day in fact was a gift in real time. She never let it define her. She was always watching out for the underdog. In those situations where life just wasn’t fair, she would come along, in her own quiet way, she would come alongside, like the Balm of Gilead, bringing in her own way, healing properties, any way she could, even if it was found in a bag of Cheezies. Always the encourager. Always loving. Always kind. Always finding a way to make a difference. How can I not admire that?
- I think of another little girl. She lived a fairy-tale life, until a devasting death before her eyes, threatened everything she knew to be good, happy, and innocent. I think of how she had to rise up as a child and become an adult overnight. I think of the pain and loss and devastation she carried. I think of how she rose up to the challenges, and tackled them, as a child. I think of every step she quietly takes today to build her life. I watch her zest for life, and her determination to live deeply, fully, and unapologetically. I think of her desire to help others along the way. I look at her passion for life and her humility to learn and grow, and all I can think is, How can I not admire that?
I can give countless examples of those I know personally that find themselves in difficult circumstances, sometimes born into it and sometimes it just finds them on their journey in life. I think of those that suffer from addictions, mental health issues, and deep anxiety challenges. I think of those that struggle to get out of bed every single day. I think of those that work long hours yet have more outgo than income and the stress never ends. Yet they don’t give up. They may have failed to accomplish what they wanted not for a day but for days that lead into years. But they are the most caring kindest thoughtful helpful people that I know. They continue to find ways to build functional lives. They show up the best they can, and every little success is a big win. They keep improving their game. They keep a great attitude. They are sometimes the greatest encouragers. With all humility in my heart, I have to ask, How can I not admire that?
Yes, I look up to every one of those people. I receive their kindness, their character, and their bravery. They are my heroes. They get up. They show up. They are kind. They care. They are my backbone. And I so very much admire them. I learn from them. They cause me to focus. To Grow. To not ever, ever give up.
In the quietness and sometimes mundaneness of their life, in the words of Vikrmn, they spur me to “Be the one for others who they can look up to; the one you too want to.”
