I have a hard time with this question. Reality is that there’s a lot of people that inspires me. That I admire. But it’s hard to put names. There’s no one person that I could just name and talk about. But what I do know that the reasons why they inspire me.

I’m inspired by people that do hard things, that set a goal and chase it. People that are intentional and in control of their lives. People (that I’ve personally met or only via stories) that stood to what they believed in when it’d be easier to let it go. People that stand for something and take it personally to make sure that we can see it in the world.

And here’s the thing. They don’t need to be famous, change the world, or anything. It can be on the small things. If you’re on a diet and refuses bad foods even though you reeeeeally want to. When you choose to start exercise in the cold Christmas morning and no one else is there. When you choose patience and love and stubbornly explain the same thing over and over to your child when it’d be easier to pull the “because I said so” move. It could be a stranger that I see with a physical disability, cycling uphill just for the exercise. It’s getting over trauma. It’s picking up sports at age 30. It’s starting a business. It’s the person that doesn’t stop believing after hearing so many “no”s. It’s when it’s hard, when people overcome. More than when it’s easy. Maybe a book that you’ve always wanted to write but has been postponing for some reason. Maybe it’s moving to a new country. A new career. When it’s scary, but you do it anyways. People that are relentless and unstoppable.

I’m a fan of stoicism. Can’t quite define it, but I can probably identify stoic traits. Maybe everything I’ve just talked about relates somehow to stoicism. I know I’m inspired by stoicism and the stoics. Though I’m not sure I can put into words why though. Maybe it’s because I see them as leaders? Maybe it’s people that are reliable? Maybe it’s about the constant overcoming of challenges and taking control of one’s life? Whatever the reason is, studying stoicism gave me an opportunity to reflect on what I want for my life. And be someone that I admire myself.