Consider Who You Admire

If I asked you to name five people you admire, who comes to mind?

They can be living or deceased. You can know them personally or not. They can be real people or fictional characters. You don’t have to know a lot about them, just what you admire from what you know. 

To admire someone means to respect, think fondly of, hold in high regard, revere, be in awe of, approve of, marvel at, or appreciate. Who do you watch from afar and think highly of? Who inspires you? Who do you think of and wonder ‘what would they do, how did they survive, or what advice would they have for me?’ Who reminds you that what you desire is possible? 

The order in which they come to mind doesn’t matter. Don’t critique yourself if someone came to mind before someone else. Allow your brain to go where it goes, unfiltered. 

Pause now and do this practice before you read further, because I'm going to share with you what you can learn about yourself in doing this practice. 

List your five and think about why you admire them. What is it about them you admire? 

1. I admire ____________ because _________________________.

2. I admire ____________ because _________________________.

3. I admire ____________ because _________________________.

4. I admire ____________ because _________________________.

5. I admire ____________ because _________________________.

Do you notice any patterns among the traits of these five people?

Are there key words that stand out to you as you review your descriptions of why you admire them? 

Is there a theme that emerges as you think of these five people you admire?

Here is the really cool thing....

The people you admire have qualities you have too.

That's right, the people you admire are very similar to you at the core of your being. That is why you admire them. Your subconscious sees the potential of what you can be.  What you admire is often what you long to become or already are. You are what they are. You are what you admire in them.  

The people you admire are mirrors to your soul. Celebrate these parts of yourself that are worthy of admiration. See that you already have the things you seek. You are already on the path by setting your sights on these five people. You can decide to continue toward becoming what they are - the thing that made you write their name down, the feeling you get when you think about them, the thing they've done that you long to do.

You are on your way to it too. The truth is, you already possess it.  

Try This

Allow yourself to see that you share things in common with the people you admire. Celebrate those parts of you. Honor that you already have it. It is in you. That thing you admire, it is true of you too. 

Have this conversation with people. Ask them who they admire and why. Listen to what they admire in the person they are describing. Help them see that they share those same qualities with the person they admire. As you help them see the mirror reflected in whom they admire, it will lead you to trust it for yourself too. 

How would you live today if you trusted that you share the inherent qualities in the people you admire? How do you show up in the world if you already have it? Do you carry yourself differently into the day? Do you make decisions differently? Do you trust yourself more? Does it help you on the path to loving yourself and who you truly are inside? Spend some time with this and soak in the self-compassion it brings to your mind and heart. 

You already have it,