Who was your greatest influence?

[kodydog]

Who was your greatest influence in your life?

When I was growing up my best friends parents owned a successful office supply business. In the ten years I hung out with my friend I watched this hard working couple grow a business from a small store front with one employe  to a large warehouse with 5 or more employes. They owned a nice house on the bay. Drove nice cars and could afford to go any where they wanted, though they seldom did. Neither had a collage degree but managed to do vary well for them self's. They always encouraged their sons to do better than themselves.

Over the years I've thought of them often and when I started my own business I thought if they could do it so can I. I'm not as successful yet but I'm working on it.

[MinUph]

I have to say my father had to have been the greatest influence on my life. He taught me allot. Upholstery is just one of them. He was my best friend. I remember many lessons growing up. Subtle little things but they sure stuck. He taught by example and I learned many things the hard way but he was always there and understanding.

[bobbin]

Aside from my parents, who were hard-working, honest, and very decent people, and who allowed me to make mistakes and then used them as "teachable" moments there have been a few notable others.

Carolyn, who taught me how to properly alter and repair clothing.  She put up with a 21 yr. old who had talent but didn't always focus in on quality and would let frustration get the better of her sometimes.  She was kind, patient, and had a super sense of humor.  I remember her fondly whenever I replace a zipper in a pair of slacks.   :)

My high school english teacher who was incredibly funny and required me to "pick it up a notch" when it came to details and writing well.  He fostered a love of words, a nicely turned phrase, and literature and would quietly pass me a particular book from his own library or a list of reading for the summer or a vacation week.  He told me he was not allowed to assign those books in class but that any college literature class would expect that I had read them before I arrived on campus.  I read 3 books a week and have continued to read for leisure over the years. 

[Mojo]

My greatest influence in my life would be my Father and my Godfather. Both were men with integrity, morals and ethics. My Dad was a man who had an amazing sense of humor, loved people and could put a smile on anyones face. He was the most upbeat person I have ever known. I never met anyone who didn't like him and enjoy his company. He taught me the art of treating people with kindness while making them feel good about themselves. My father was an awesome man and my hero.

My Godfather was the one who taught me the art of business and marketing. He instilled the passion I have for marketing. The man was amazing and everything he touched turned to gold. I watched him take a small deli and turn it into the Mid Wests largest food processing company. He was very hard on me during my younger years but along with my father they taught me to be the best at anything I do. Second best was never an option.

Probably the other influence in my life was Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers. This man was a motivator of men and his outlook on life along with his quotes have served me well. I will leave this post with one of my favorite Lombardi quotes:

" It isn't about if you get knocked down.........Its about if you get back up ".

Chris

[baileyuph]

Seems fathers are winning, but in honesty it was my mom.  We grew up poor, so poor we didn't even know it because everyone else was poor.  Mom contributed to my determination that I can do it, never give up.  Mom would say, "can't" can't do anything.  Gotta keep on trying.

Most of you demonstrate considerable thanks to your parents, a very upbeat something that isn't necessarily heard today.  Thanks for making my day.

Bobbin:  Your special, honestly, I have been in this trade and you have command of the man's language much more handily than the run of the mill contributor in the fashion of the way things happen here.  Your respect for the English teacher and encouragement offered is noted.  I don't know, but from your input, I might sign off by saying that was additive to the environment and values bestowed upon you by your parents. and the achievement goals you wanted to attain.  Plus, like I said, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  ;)

Signing off, we will not forget that all are unique, and cannot be the same, thank goodness.  My attributes are primarily analytical, techical.  I grew up under the emphasis of learn the three "r's" which inspired me to get thru the Masters in technical stuff.  Enough said about that, but, later in life have focused on bringing  my communication skills to a level commensurate with my formal technical achievements.  It has been tough but as Mom said, don't say can't. 

We all are different.

Doyle

[SHHR]

My Dad without a doubt. He quit school at 16 to help raise a younger brother and sister when his mom passed away and his dad was out working. He married my mom in 1964 making all of $12.75 per week with rent being $12.00 per week. He worked at the state hospital, starting in the laundry, moving to working on the self sustaining farm there, and into the maintenance dept to which he retired about 6 years ago as a welder foreman. In the evenings he worked in the garage doing body and mechanical work to help make ends meet while mom was raising us and keeping house. In all of that I NEVER heard him complain about how life was unfair or that he worked too hard for too little. I credit him with me knowing all I do today. Yes, he taught me mechanics and body repair, but more importantly than that, he taught me how to think and figure things out for myself without asking for the answer. When things have gotten tough in the shop, he's the one who encourages me to stick it out and things always get better. Fortunately he's still with us and hope to have him around for many years to come.
Kyle

[sofadoc]

No one individual for me. It's been a compilation of people that have come in and out of my life.
The most influential people that have affected me have been negative ones.
They provide me a model of what I DON'T want for myself. It might be a backward way of forming my core values, but it works for me.
My father left when I was a baby. My mother spent the next 17 years dragging him to court for non-payment of child support. He never once even asked to see me.
Too bad, the dads were on a roll here.

[Mike8560]

Well  the greatest influence,   Id have to say my dad also.
I'm not going to say he was great., he had his flawsbut as other here he worked.
Fior most all of my life he worked for himself and as a kid I worked summers with him.
He used to say that  it was more important to him when he finnished a job( he was a painter  then walleperer also and later plasterer and stucco) it wasn't the pay as much as the satifaction of the customer.
That he liked. 
ThatS  were
I got it,   after completing a
canvas job I liked to stand back have a smoke ( I quit about 15 gears ago) admire my job looking for any flaws  the customer might see. And fix them.  I used to work in a wood shop buildidng office furniture  an do the same also.
Later in life he had accedent and was paralized thet how I got into canvas he was messin with my late moms sewing machine earning his sox. Ect the decided to redo the canvas on his boat.  Then he open a little shop and I used to stop after my job and see how he was doing and I'd figure out how to do the canvas he took on for himself  aviosly he could donthe work from wheelchair. And the helped he had  couldn't either soni ended up one spring not retur ing to my construction work I stayed at the canvas.  
 AnywAy I'd have to say I'm were I'm at due to him.  
About  3 years ago he drowned in my pool in a accedent.  And is now gone


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