Approval and Admiration

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933CC]First, I'm not talking about having a crush on anyone, or liking anyone. I'm talking about platonically. Or non-romantically, if you prefer.

So my question is, other than your parents/guardians, did you ever really admire someone and want their approval or affirmation that you were doing a "good job"?

How did it make you feel? What did you do about it? Did you ever get the approval you were looking for?

[size=1]And yes, there is a long, dramatic story behind my question.[/size][/color]

[Lunar]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Well, I'm not sure if a math teacher would be in the "guardian" category, but I kinda admired him. He was tough on our class and my classmates called me "teacher's pet" but used meaner words. I have trouble in math, and he was the best math teacher I had. He helped me alot and when I finally learned how to do a certain problem right, he would say "great job!" I sometimes got the approval I was looking for and it helped me with math alot, too.:catgirl:[/COLOR]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

hehe, that's actually a long funny story for me, but I can summarize pretty easily. At my current job (which I've been at for almost two years not) I have a boss whose respect I've been trying to earn since I've been there. I've admired his style of management and have tried to emulate it, assuming of course that would be enough.

Well though our center's numbers have been the top of the division, I still am yet to get that "thataboy" I've been hunting for. Though I think I have a plan, he and his wife just had a baby. I'm going to try and find out what the other members of the management team are getting them as a gift and best them. (Can't hurt to try)

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think it's nice to be told by anyone that you're doing a good job.

But I think you have to be careful about that. For instance, even with OB here, I have personally had a lot of critics over the years. That's really died down now, because I think there have been a lot of changes on all sides.

However, there's a difference between some random person saying "OMG your work is horrible" and someone you know and value giving you the same reaction.

There are a lot of people whose opinions I really value and there are also a lot of people who I personally admire/respect.

It may seem lame, but I really value the approval of all of our members. Even though I can't please everybody, I really don't like it when one person feels that something is wrong. I think every person within the community is valuable and we do try as much as we can to deliver what people want.

In terms of "real life", I'd say there are work colleagues and family members whose approval I value more than others... but no matter what, I just try to do what I think is right at the time.

I think I mostly get the approval I'm looking for, but also, I don't think you can live your life based on winning the approval of others. As I said, whether it's online or real life, you will [i]never[/i] get [i]every[/i] person's approval. That's when you have to decide whose approval really matters fundamentally.

For me personally... first and foremost, I try to "approve" of myself and what I do. In other words, I have to be happy with my decisions and actions as much as possible before I can worry about what others think. A lot of people don't listen to themselves enough, I'd say.

In terms of online again, I could list so many people who I admire.

But if I had to choose one, I'd be Adam. I have known him for many years now and I've seen him grow and develop. He has always been an exceptionally wise person for his age and I think this basic wisdom has seen him through many tough times.

He knows when it's right to stand up against majority opinion in order to pursue paths that you feel are important. And he also knows when it's necessary to back down and be conciliatory to others.

Also, I think he is aware of his own limitations and gaps in his skills/knowledge...and understanding that is so important. It's the first step to actually overcoming limitations.

Anyway I could ramble on and on, but yes, there are really a lot of people right here who I admire, as well as those I know in day-to-day life.[/font]