Who's had the most positive impact on your life?

[LSN80]

When I ask this question, I want you to consider who is responsible for helping to steer your life in the direction that it is, or at least, the positive aspects of it. This person can range anywhere from a parent to a significant other to a best friend to a teacher. Personally, when I think back, I look at people who've helped me along the way, and I wonder what my life would be like had this person not been in it. I'm not suggesting that one person changes or alters the trajectory of our lives, as they're are a myriad of reasons and influences as to why we are the way that we are.

When considering the question, it doesn't necessarily have to be someone who set a positive example for you. I think back to the interview I read several months back with CM Punk, and he was talking about his father, the alcoholic, and how watching him drink and the way he acted when he drank being the biggest reason in his life that he's straight edge. In his case, it was a negative influence that he saw the horrors of, and it impacted his life so greatly that he's never had a drink.

For me, the greatest influence in my life has been my dad as well. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate and blessed because I'm adopted, from a single mother who was 17. I'm also a twin, so my adoptive(and only)parents took on quite the handful when they adopted us together.

Despite the obvious challenges of raising twins, I can't imagine having a better father. Without being too intrusive, my dad showed and took interest in every area of my life. I was a good basketball player until several knee injuries, and at 6'1, my dad would tirelessly work with me on getting better, despite being only 5'5. He never pressured me either, only encouraged, and he's a big reason I fell in love with the game.

One of my dad's credos in life, both growing up and until today, was "If you don't having anything nice to say, say nothing at all." And he lived that on a daily basis. I could count on one hand the number of times he put any of the three of us down verbally(myself, my twin, and my younger sister), and have heard him swear just as few. He taught me both patience and how to treat others, including a woman. The way he treated my mother, with kindness, love, and like she was the most important person in the world, is how I try to treat my wife. My dad must be on to something, because he and my mom celebrate their 35th Anniversary in 3 days.His lessons must have paid off on me as well, as I'm due to celebrate my 5th year Anniversary in just 5 days.

Finally, my dad deserves some of the credit for the work that I do and love. I come from a family of teachers, generations of them, on my dad's side. His two brothers are teachers, as were his mother and his grandmother. While I didn't get into the teaching field, I volunteered summers as a teenager helping my dad at summer camps for children with autism and mental ******ation. It was there that I fell in love with working with people with some kind of disorders, and even to this day, I make sure I keep 1-2 clients on my schedule with autism, because I do enjoy it so much. If it weren't for my dad, I may not have gotten into the helping field at all. And because I'm in that field, I'm fairly well-compensated for doing a job, while stressful, that I greatly enjoy.

Who has had the most positive influence on your life? Why?

Any other thoughts surrounding this topic are welcome.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

To be positive takes an extreme amount of guts. No one in life can be positive for you , you gotta do it yourself. You run your life so therefore you have to fuel your own life.

With that being said, the most positive impact in my life is myself. It's simple really. It just takes a mind set. Set your mind to Triumph and don't look back--look forward as much as you can. Stay up and never give up. The more you see up, the more you're going to succeed in life and that's guaran-damn-teed.

Never doubt yourself. Doubt is the reason why failure is there. Your mind is your work, what you put into it is what you're going to get exactly and nothing more. So as you see, the mind is what you make of it. Set your mind to infinity and reach beyond. Never put yourself down; always strive for accomplishment. Succeed in every way. Learn to be a human. Be powerfull.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Kurt Vonnegut.

For a number of years, and even still to this day I have suffered with depression. When I went to the doctors, the one I phrase I remember sticking out was "an imbalance of chemicals". For a long time, I felt pissed off that I could feel so miserable that my genetics (or whateverthefuck) were making me feel this way. Counselling helped somewhat, but that phrase refused to go away.

I got into Kurt Vonnegut when I was 21, as all I wanted for my birthday was a collection of his short stories and to be left alone for a few days, so I left for my caravan with a peaceful few days ahead of me. I tucked into the short stories that had been referenced to in some particular songs first of all and really liked the combination of the blend of comedy and impending doom in several of them; most of all Welcome to the Monkey House and The Euphorio Question.

I found and read more of his books that my uncle had passed on for my dad to read,quite by coincidence. Shortly before my uncle died suddenly, I had read a Vonnegut book where a character had said, "If you can't do any good, don't do any harm." In a reading at my uncles funeral, my cousin referenced this line as something my uncle always taught her. When I spoke to her after, she had no idea where this line had come from, but that her dad was always picking up bits of advice from things that he loved.

This made me delve even further into Vonneguts books and eventually find a more interesting take on the world that wasn't quite as flat as I had read/heard previously.

 

[LSN80]

To be positive takes an extreme amount of guts. No one in life can be positive for you , you gotta do it yourself. You run your life so therefore you have to fuel your own life.

Sometimes, it takes other people in life to be positive for you. There are times and situations that can cause great damage in one's life, and were it not for the positive influence of others, people can and do self-destruct and never recover.

With that being said, the most positive impact in my life is myself.

Maybe, but who you are isn't determined solely by....yourself. Somewhere along the way, there were people who helped shape who you are.

It's simple really. It just takes a mind set. Set your mind to Triumph and don't look back--look forward as much as you can. Stay up and never give up. The more you see up, the more you're going to succeed in life and that's guaran-damn-teed.

That's not a guarantee, whatsoever. As much as I believe in fueling your mind and remaining positive in tough situations, being positive is no guarantee of success, or, in your words, triumph. It takes much more then that.

Never doubt yourself. Doubt is the reason why failure is there. Your mind is your work, what you put into it is what you're going to get exactly and nothing more.

Again, yes and no. There are people with mental disease and defect who don't have the ability to just put mind over matter, eliminate doubt, and succeed. Sometimes, even the most positive people who trust fully in themselves and their minds fail miserably.

That's exactly why people need other people to pick them up and be positive influences on themselves. Because we as human beings can't do everything on our own.

So as you see, the mind is what you make of it. Set your mind to infinity and reach beyond. Never put yourself down; always strive for accomplishment. Succeed in every way. Learn to be a human. Be powerful.

Again, striving and success are two completely different things. I may train my body to dunk a basketball. I may believe in my mind I can dunk a basketball. I may strive with all my might for the accomplishment of dunking a basketball, but guess what?

Several knee surgeries and being a 6'1 white boy who's almost 31 years old says otherwise, as I can't. No matter how hard I strive, believe, and reach for success, I'm never going to be able to dunk a basketball.

Which is why it's nice to have positive influences in my life to remind me of my successes, including the time I could dunk a basketball. I'm pretty "strong of mind", if you will, but it still sucks when the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, as the old saying goes.

Thank God for people who support me and attempt to make me feel good about myself, unconditionally. Sometimes, it's in other people and relationships with them is where the true power and success lie.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Sometimes, it takes other people in life to be positive for you. There are times and situations that can cause great damage in one's life, and were it not for the positive influence of others, people can and do self-destruct and never recover.

You're right. Support can go along way. But most of the times we reject others' help and only seek it from our very own selves. We hate others' input and wish to accomplish our goals solely by ourselves.

Maybe, but who you are isn't determined solely by....yourself. Somewhere along the way, there were people who helped shape who you are.

True. But when it comes to decision for thyself, who makes ehm? As a kid I was always raised to make my own decisions because I was the only one that was going to be responsible for them.

That's not a guarantee, whatsoever. As much as I believe in fueling your mind and remaining positive in tough situations, being positive is no guarantee of success, or, in your words, triumph. It takes much more then that.

What else?

Again, yes and no. There are people with mental disease and defect who don't have the ability to just put mind over matter, eliminate doubt, and succeed. Sometimes, even the most positive people who trust fully in themselves and their minds fail miserably.

That's exactly why people need other people to pick them up and be positive influences on themselves. Because we as human beings can't do everything on our own.

You're right. Sick patients do need the support from others. They are handicapped.

As far as norms tho. It really is that simple, bro. Picture a thought in your head: label that thought: Triumph. Leave it at that, and just repeat it to your mind over and over again. You will see. What I say is the truth.

Again, striving and success are two completely different things. I may train my body to dunk a basketball. I may believe in my mind I can dunk a basketball. I may strive with all my might for the accomplishment of dunking a basketball, but guess what?

Several knee surgeries and being a 6'1 white boy who's almost 31 years old says otherwise, as I can't, no matter how hard I strive, believe, and reach for success, I'm never going to be able to dunk a basketball.

Which is why it's nice to have positive influences in my life to remind me of my successes, including the time I could dunk a basketball. I'm pretty "strong of mind", if you will, but it still sucks when the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, as the old saying goes.

You said it all in "can't". You put a restriction upon yourself when you say words like that. It's easy for me to say it but harder for it to be understood. The mind is like Microsoft Word. What you type is what you get. Simple as that and nothing more. Put in your mind: Dunk. Repeat it over and over again. You'll be dunking more than waffles in the near timez.

Thank God for people who support me and attempt to make me feel good about myself, unconditionally. Sometimes, it's in other people and relationships with them is where the true power and success lie.

To have the support of other people... it's nice but an ego takes you away from that power. A person's ego will keep them from accepting the help of others. #Pride.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Very easy to say who has had the most positive impact upon my lives. Unquestionably my two kids and with all due respect to all of the other positive aspects of my life, it's not even close. They've been the focal point of my life since the day they arrived, and have brought more joy into my life than I could ever express in words.

Everything I do, I do with them first and foremost in mind. They've made me a better person and continue to inspire me to be ever better still. No one else in my life is completely and utterly positive, with no negative whatsoever. As a single parent, I cannot imagine my life without them. Without a doubt, the greatest and most positive impact upon my life.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Hands down one of my undergraduate economics professors.

To be flat out honest with all of you here on WZ, I lied my way through my undergrad degree. I forged a shit ton of fake doctor's notes to get paper extensions, make-up tests, and the like. Eventually, during my first go-around at law school, I got caught and expelled.

Skipping through a year of general self-loathing and constant contemplation of suicide, this one economics professor, whom I had given plenty of fake doctor's notes to, emails me to tell me that he was sad to hear of my situation and, despite my poor choices, he knew I was a good person who had so much to offer the world. His connections and recommendation got me back on my feet and a second chance at a law degree.

Very few people in this world will ever be as fortunate as I have been to have someone like this watching out for them. If this man and I worked together, I'd kiss his feet and thank him every day for what he did.

Even though I make bank now and my paycheck goes straight to my wife, she knows how much this man means to me and she has allowed me to put 15% of my earnings away in a separate account. Once the account reaches $2,000,000, I'm donating it to my college to put the Economics Chair in this man's name. However, when all is said and done, I will never be able to properly pay this man back, not even in a million lifetimes.

 

[HBsam31]

For me it was a kitchen manager I had when I was about 21. I had a job cooking, but no real direction in my life. I saw how talented he was and he encouraged me to go to school for it, and get out of the town that I was in. He helped me get in, and told me what to expect. I did what he told me to do, and got a great externship. I had goals, and I worked my way up, and became a chef in my own kitchens which I still do today, and have became pretty successful. I have always given that kitchen manager a lot of credit for setting me on that path.

 

[Dagger Dias]

For me it was probably my football coach back in high school. He taught me the valuable lesson found in never giving up if you truly want something and putting in the extra work to get to that point. "Champions do one extra!" he would say. It wasn't just about reps while practicing to earn a spot on the varsity roster either, he meant it in regards to every aspect of life. 9 and a half years later, I am still able to apply that same solid piece of advice to many areas of my life. It's gotten me through tough situations and helped me achieved things that I have wanted to do. I'll pass that same advice on to the rest of you. If you truly want something, then (within reason) go the extra mile. It's worth it.