somebody you admire

[JaBlue]

I have a hard time ever being impressed by other people. This probably comes from thinking I'm hot [censored]. Since this appears to be common, everyone in this thread should talk about what things impress them in other people, and/or one person in particular that they look up to (or used to look up to).

My person is Uncle Jeff.

Uncle Jeff is ~45, married with 8 year old twins Jenna and Jessie. He is the person I admire most. He's 6'5" probably 200, in great shape - swims, mountain bikes - that type. As far as pure intellect goes, he is not the sharpest. Probably still in the top 2-3 percent though.

Here's a recap of his life as I've heard it:
-got into dartmouth because of swimming
-graduated in 5 yrs from dartmouth/tuck with MBA + BS
-spent next 10 yrs on wall street as an investment banker
-quit, retired, traveled
-met his wife after inviting her (blind) on a trip to Nepal because of his friend's suggestion.
-got back to california, studied at california institute for integral studies and did philosophy
-had children, wanted to maintain lifestyle, got involved in an internet-based political startup
-startup failed, created an investment banking/venture capital firm
-his firm is doing very well, merged with another, and now he's getting into some stem cell investing-related stuff.

Reasons I admire him:

He lives how I would like to. He has multimillion net worth and his house is nice but not overly lavish, with a nice yard and pool. Has some cool gadgets but generally doesn't spend much money. Eats good food all the damn time. Has a great family.

Jeff consistently challenges himself. He works a ton doing the things he loves. Reads, spends time with kids, goes on family vacations more than just about anyone I know. He is living the life I hope to live when I am 45.

He has a very thorough understanding of the things that interest him. He went back to school after his wall street years to learn philosophy and spirituality and can offer conversational material that rivals just about anyone. He has something unique and interesting to say about any idea one may set forth. He loves to think.

He's funny.

He's fun.

He rules.

[PartyGirlUK]

My grandfather, who I never met.

Was sent from his native Holland to the UK as a teenager due to rising problems for Jews in Europe. Lived with distant relatives he'd never met, not speaking the language of the country.

Learned language, went to university. Qualified as both a doctor and a dentist. Met my grandma and got married. Then had to go serve in the war as a medic, all around the world, one can only imagine what he saw. During this time he received letters saying his father, mother and brother had been murdered in the concentration camps.

Came back, had a kid, my dad. Brought him up as best he could, working hard enough to afford him the best schooling available and had a successful marriage. Sadly he succumbed to cancer aged 65ish.

His life is impressive enough without the personal tragedy he suffered, I cant imagine possibly leading a normal life after going through all that.

[Golden_Rhino]

My Dad.

- Has has busted his hump in a factory 12 hours a day since he came to Canada, which was over 30 years ago, and he never bitched about it once. He has also never called in sick.

- He taught himself to speak English by watching Sesame Street, reading children's books, forcing himself to speak English, in spite of the fact that we live in an ethnic neighborhood where he could have spoken his native tongue. Most of the people his age never bothered to learn the language, but my dad didn't want to be known as an 'ignorant wop.'

- He paints, plays guitar, and can build or fix pretty much anything.

- He is the most optimistic person I know. No matter how much stress he is under, he will never let it ruin his good mood. He is also one of those people who has no enemies because he is good to anyone that he comes across. I've obviously known him his whole life, and I have never heard him say a bad thing about anyone.

Overall I just admire him because he never let his lack of education, or the fact that he is an immigrant be a handicap for him. In spite of any obstacles, he has made himself a cultured, well spoken, well read, overall nice guy. If I could even be half the dad he was when I was growing up, I will have very happy kids.

[firstyearclay]

Great posts JaBlue, Dean, and GR.

I am going to go away from the family because I admire each and everyone of them on different levels. Some more then others; some less then others.

I have admired him for about 10 years now. I have watched about 700+ games on television and been to about 200 games live in all different arenas around the league. I have watched you raise three Stanley Cups and almost win 2 more.

I have been on the edge of my seat (literally and figuratively) for so many games I remember, and so many games I have forgotten. When work sucked, I fought with my girlfriend, life just sucked; somehow I was there at 7:30pm (EST) watching to see if you would let anyone score tonight. When the Olympics came around I kind of rooted for Canada because I knew you would win if you played. You are on pace to finish the game with the most wins, shutouts, 35+ win seasons, 40+ win seasons, games played and minutes played by a goaltender. A sure-fire Hall of Famer.

In showing the world you were flappable, you admitted that you had cheated on your wife and that you had made a huge mistake. Instead of making it public, you apologized and told reporters that it would never be discussed again. I thought you handled a poor decision with a good decision by not compounding your mistakes and turning your family loose to the general public. I first realized here that you weren’t perfect, but most people aren’t; a great life lesson.

I have enjoyed my trips to games with my father, brother, step-father, girlfriend(s), mother, groups, people from work etc….. I have so many years of good memories and wins that I could step away from sports understanding the word consistency. You may be appreciated in some places and under-appreciated in most places, but I have always admired you.

Martin Brodeur G New Jersey Devils

Fyc

[fluffpop62]

My mom:
My grandparents are both immigrants (from Ireland), and she was the only child that survived (many miscarriages). My grandparents didn't have the best relationship, and when they'd fight, they wouldn't speak to each other for weeks on end, leading my mother to grow up in a household where she was the only nonmute one for indeterminable amounts of time.

Disobeyed her parents wishes by going to college (self financed) and earning a degree in Business, followed by getting a job that paid for a graduated degree at good ol' USD.

Denied 3 marriage proposals, and kept my father at bay for a good 4 years (despite his declaration, the first day that he met her, that he would marry her one day), until she finally settled down with him.

Is now the CFO of a Defense Systems Contracting co. (successful in a male dominated world), while managing to be a loving and attentive parent to 4 children, and being home every day when we came home from school.

When I was younger I used to emulate my father becuase of his esteemed military career and long hours, but now that I've matured a little bit, I've realized it's my mom that's made so many sacrifices - raising four children while her husband is away for 6 months at a time, all while running the finances of a very successful company and maintaining a beautiful home is pretty intimidating.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

[ QUOTE ]
Denied 3 marriage proposals, and kept my father at bay for a good 4 years (despite his declaration, the first day that he met her, that he would marry her one day), until she finally settled down with him.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fluff,
explain why this this is admirable?

[guids]

My grandpa, he is 86, is a WW2 hero, I believe a Col, he had the detail of taking down camps, when they were captured from the germans, he has pictures that he showed me once, of piles of dead bodies, and mass graves, he teared up when he showed them too me, I was like 12, he doesnt take them out often. After the war he got two masters degrees, one in phramacolgy, and the other I cant remember, he was a pharmacist in Beverely Hills for awhile, and met some awesome stars, Joey Bishop, Frank Sinatara, Lana Turner. He still works at one ot hte most respected hospitals in the nation. But the kicker, when I was in 3rd grade they had grandparents day, and a nun (my teacher) took him aside and showing him my handwriting she said something along the lines of "he'll never amount to anything w/ that handwriting", and he flipped out, said, "I have the worst FCKN handwriting of anyone I know, and IM doing alright!".

[MuresanForMVP]

[ QUOTE ]
My grandpa, he is 86, is a WW2 hero, I believe a Col, he had the detail of taking down camps, when they were captured from the germans, he has pictures that he showed me once, of piles of dead bodies, and mass graves, he teared up when he showed them too me, I was like 12, he doesnt take them out often. After the war he got two masters degrees, one in phramacolgy, and the other I cant remember, he was a pharmacist in Beverely Hills for awhile, and met some awesome stars, Joey Bishop, Frank Sinatara, Lana Turner. He still works at one ot hte most respected hospitals in the nation. But the kicker, when I was in 3rd grade they had grandparents day, and a nun (my teacher) took him aside and showing him my handwriting she said something along the lines of "he'll never amount to anything w/ that handwriting", and he flipped out, said, "I have the worst FCKN handwriting of anyone I know, and IM doing alright!".

[/ QUOTE ]

haha that's a great story. Reminds me of my Grandfather who passed away in 2001. Retired as a Marine Col. but was a Capt. by the time WWII rolled around. Fought as an infantry officer in some of the toughest battles of Marine Corps history, including Okinawa, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, and Tarawa (where he received a bronze star). Knew some of the larger figures in USMC history like Gen. Jones former commandant Dave Shoup, and even knew Chesty Puller (the Marine Corps' Babe Ruth) on a personal level. My father even has a photo of him sitting on Chesty's lap from when my Grandfather was CO of Portsmouth MCB.

Aside from him, I'd say that Brad Kasal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Kasal) is another man who has earned my complete respect.

['Chair]

[ QUOTE ]
Phil Gordon

Cashed out of his .com and traveled for six years straight. Began professional poker afterward. Sick life.

[/ QUOTE ]


I agree. I plunk him in the same boat as Paul Phillips. Both have lead similar lives...Phil's traveling gives him an edge. oh how I wish I was born 10 years earlier and creamed that dot.com startup bubble.



I admire my parents and grandparents because of the values and sacrifices they made to put me and my siblings in a position to accomplish more than they could. When other families were going on vacations and new cars and bigger homes, they were investing their children's educations.

Strong family values and good marriages made for a healthy and grounded upbringing. This is something I hope to be able to do for/give to my kids.

[lippy]

My father and it isn't close.

Grew up rather poor, got an academic scholarship to a private school. Got a decent scholarship to the University of Minnesota which he denied to bowl professionally for a year and a half. He then entered the military for two tours in Vietnam because he thought it was the right thing to do.

He then began his working life as an electronics salesman, where he was very successful. He decided then got bored of that and moved to Wichita, KS to DJ and install lighting systems, where he met my mother.

When he realized my mother was the woman he wanted to marry he decided to get a real job, so he started a company with a guy he worked with. The company grew (CardCo if there are any C64 enthusiasts) to the point that it was doing 10 million+ each month in sales. My dad wanted to go public, but his investors thought it would be better to wait a year. He, stupidly, allowed this because his investors had been so loyal in the early stages. Commodore basically went bust and my dad went from being worth tens of millions to barely anything in a few weeks.

This didn't phase him, he had an ailing mother in Minnesota that he needed to take care of, so he packed his family up and moved here. He took work as a computer programmer and made decent money. As he got better, he took jobs that allowed him to spend time with his family and still make good money. Now he is one of the more sought after developers in his field and could easily be making high six-figures in Cali.

In his life he had always been incredibly resilient. But the thing that makes me admire him the most is the way he lives his life. I've never witnessed or been around anyone as benevolent as him. He lives his life to make those around him happy and his moral compass is the best I've ever witnessed. He truly is a great person and a hell of a father.

[limon]

i might switch places w/ a young hugh hefner

[West]

[ QUOTE ]
Phil Gordon

Cashed out of his .com and traveled for six years straight. Began professional poker afterward. Sick life.

[/ QUOTE ]

Admire or are jealous of?

['Chair]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Phil Gordon

Cashed out of his .com and traveled for six years straight. Began professional poker afterward. Sick life.

[/ QUOTE ]

Admire or are jealous of?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think he admires him for doing something substantial/meaningful with his money...at least that was my reason. He's like a bigger better richer gets-more-pussy Bruiser.

[West]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Phil Gordon

Cashed out of his .com and traveled for six years straight. Began professional poker afterward. Sick life.


[/ QUOTE ]Admire or are jealous of?


[/ QUOTE ] I think he admires him for doing something substantial/meaningful with his money...at least that was my reason. He's like a bigger better richer gets-more-pussy Bruiser.

[/ QUOTE ]

Substantial/meaningful??

[lapoker17]

you phil gordon fanboys need to read the nvg thread - he sounds like a tool.

[registrar]

[ QUOTE ]
you phil gordon fanboys need to read the nvg thread - he sounds like a tool.

[/ QUOTE ]

linkies?

['Chair]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Phil Gordon

Cashed out of his .com and traveled for six years straight. Began professional poker afterward. Sick life.


[/ QUOTE ]Admire or are jealous of?


[/ QUOTE ] I think he admires him for doing something substantial/meaningful with his money...at least that was my reason. He's like a bigger better richer gets-more-pussy Bruiser.

[/ QUOTE ]

Substantial/meaningful??

[/ QUOTE ]

traveling after selling off company
donating a lot of time and money to charity events/causes...cancer mainly I think

...stuff like that. google or wiki for further details...thanks for coming out.


in your defense, mostly based on the impression I have of Degen, I can see how he may just be envious of Phil.

['Chair]

[ QUOTE ]
you phil gordon fanboys need to read the nvg thread - he sounds like a tool.

[/ QUOTE ]

that's probably because he is a tool deep down...GT Alumni aren't the craziest kids on the block. Of course I've read about a few internet poker pro dbags who know how to party like rockstars...coke and hookers style

[West]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Phil Gordon

Cashed out of his .com and traveled for six years straight. Began professional poker afterward. Sick life.
[ QUOTE ]
Admire or are jealous of?


[/ QUOTE ]I think he admires him for doing something substantial/meaningful with his money...at least that was my reason. He's like a bigger better richer gets-more-pussy Bruiser.

[/ QUOTE ] Substantial/meaningful??


[/ QUOTE ] traveling after selling off company
donating a lot of time and money to charity events/causes...cancer mainly I think

...stuff like that. google or wiki for further details...thanks for coming out.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you trying to be smart? Neither of you two's posts envying Phil Gordon said anything about "donating a lot of time and money to charity events/causes".

It's ok to admire his lifestyle, I was just asking a question.

[Dids]

[ QUOTE ]
you phil gordon fanboys need to read the nvg thread - he sounds like a tool.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you judged everybody by what they said right after they busted from a tournament, I think a lot of us would look like [censored].

Gordon seems pretty decent from other stuff I've seen/read.

[lapoker17]

[ QUOTE ]

If you judged everybody by what they said right after they busted from a tournament, I think a lot of us would look like [censored].

[/ QUOTE ]

most of the people i know in poker who are good guys say nothing after they bust or shake a few hands and walk away. most dbags i know in poker act like dbags when they bust.

[Bicycles_Biatch]

A couple I know have eached lived a pretty borring life since getting married straight out of H.S and having kids at 21 and 22 years old.

Neither of them (to this day) have made more than $50K in a year from their primary job...

Their current net worth is around $7.5 Million dollars and they have two amazing kids who are both in grad school and have $100K job offers on the table.

They are very happy, have a good sex life (from what I hear), and travel extensively.

['Chair]

Post deleted by El Diablo

[suzzer99]

The Dog Whisperer - Caesar Milan. Seriously, his incredible insight into dog psychology and more importanly his attitude on life, really inspires me. I swear if you want to see a good example of leadership watch this show, and Captain Kirk. That's all you need.

[fluffpop62]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Denied 3 marriage proposals, and kept my father at bay for a good 4 years (despite his declaration, the first day that he met her, that he would marry her one day), until she finally settled down with him.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fluff,
explain why this this is admirable?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it's fascinating. You're not a woman, so I doubt the situation would arise, but I think that to know yourself well enough that you would be comfortable denying the proposal of someone to spend your lives together implies a great sense of self awareness. Similarly, the fact that 4 different people were interested in spending their entire LIVES with her (keep in mind, she's been married for 24 years; this is back when divorce was not in the back of everyone's minds) is a testament to her personality, charm and charisma.

[knifeandfork]

Ja,
sorry to jump in with a question my gf was considering cali institute of integral studies for grad school in arts/counseling.tell me what your unc thought of his experience there if you know thanks
jason

[Bicycles_Biatch]

[ QUOTE ]
can't you admire somebody and envy them at the same time?

[/ QUOTE ]

yes... I admire the business savy of Bill Gates... and I envy just about every aspect of his life.