Who Made YOU

What I’m getting at is who formed your personality. For the most part when asked this question you would answer your parents. Again, we all know that our parent, siblings and even other family members play a part in our personalities but think about other major influences in your life and write down who you think helped in forming your attitude, humor, style, and any other attributes you may posses.

I bring this up because I feel that as we grow up outside influences effect us quite a bit. TV personalities, teachers, etc that have form ideas in our minds and we may not realize it until later in life. Maybe we aspired to fall in love based on a particular movie that we watched and it stuck with us. Maybe we aspired to live in a particular location due to something we read in a book or learned in school. Maybe we have learned from tragedies to be (or not to be) like someone that lived through a tragic event. In any of these cases I feel that we are influenced by so many outside sources and if you stop to jot a few down you’ll be surprised.

I challenge you to choose 10 people or events (not family members although that is tough for me because my father is by #1 hero) that influenced the course of who you are and created your personality. I have did mine below as an example. It was fun for me to go back and do and I hope you have fun trying it too!

1. Dave Kleuh - My softball coach growing up because he taught me all about being a team player and to this day I still believe being a team player is the way to go. He single handedly instilled that quality in me and I thank him from the bottom of my heart.

2. Carol Burnett - She taught me humor. Plain and simple this woman is the funniest woman on the planet and anytime someone says "you crack me up" or "you make me laugh" I can only think it's because I watched 11 seasons of this woman's show. She is a legend.

3. Beth Peterson - My first grade teacher for giving me the best experience in my life as it should be and for being the kindest, most considerate person that I've ever known. Going forward she set the bar for teacher's for the rest of my life and they never hit it. Everyone should experience the security and warmth from a teacher as I did from her.

4. Mary Tyler Moore - Yes, sadly I wanted to be independent like this woman and live on my own. What she did do was aspire me to be strong, independent and take care of myself as a woman. It was a good show.

5. Love Story - I wanted love like they had in this movie and I was a mere child when this movie came out. I will never forget her telling him "Love means never having to say you're sorry" and for some reason I have never forgotten that statement and I have a meaning in my head that I go by and I try to live by.

6. The Holocaust - Yep, this was a tragedy for me that I can't fathom and it alters my life. To think that millions of people could be murdered, tortured and other horrible things, just boggles my mind and for so long, no one knew. It made me realize that evil exist in the world and you have to accept it and be aware of it.

7. Fred Astaire - Dancing, oh my gosh this man can dance and to watch him makes my heart flutter (corny I know) but I don't care. I watched him with my mom when I was little along with Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly and all the rest of them but this man had it going on. He made me realize that dancing was just an amazing art and I love to watch people dance today.

8. Billy Joel - I love music and I think it speaks to people and can change and enhance so many lives but this man speaks to me. He is an amazing song writer and to me is someone that understands people, emotions and life.

9. The Ocean - The vastness of it's being............what else can be said about it. Once you have sat down beside it and watched the tide come in or go out it changes you forever. It makes you want to do great things, at least it works for me.

10. Children - They change your lives and make you realize that life is short and life is innocent in the beginning. One can only start out fresh and hopefully we can keep them there as long as possible. The one in my life currently is teaching me to be a better person as we speak.