(Note: Dr. Stephen R. Covey was highly accomplished and also acknowledged those who came before that helped him become that way. I thought about the approach to gratitude that #Stephen R. Covey discussed in his training when I originally wrote about this ... another example of the shoulders of a giant upon whom thousands of people stand. Thank you, Stephen R. Covey.)WRITE YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PAGE
This is an Acknowledgment as if I were already an author. (I am not yet but will be soon.) It is a list of people who I can look back upon and see a positive impact on me that helped to shape who I am. It would be a fascinating visual to see me and then all the influential people in my life standing behind me. That would be a large group, for sure.
(I
highly recommend that you try this exercise for yourself! If you do, I would
love to have you post it or send me an email with it.)
This
list does not contain the obvious oblations to deity. It would be trite and
exploitive to do so in this forum. Needless to say, I'm a fan.
I
found through this list that the people who influenced me the most were
innovators, not exploiters. I love good singers, but singer/songwriters have my
respect. They were the creators. I try to emulate the creators.
That
being said, here are some people who
have inspired me and also people to whom I owe everything (mostly in no
particular order):
First
- Everyone who scanned this article only to find their names weren’t listed
when it should have been ... You’re absolutely right. My mind is starting to slip in my middle age. If that’s the
case, please send me an email and I will add you to the list and I will also
state why you belong there!
Kelly
Anstead
Teacher
of hundreds of junior high children who have truly needed her help, inspirer,
comedienne, mother of my children, the one who chose to walk the path with me
My
children
Because
they’re my kids and we’re all pretty good friends, actually
Terrell
and Shawna Ewing
Through
whom I witnessed the refining process of the few who reach near-perfection in
this life
Marilyn
Anderson
Writer,
thinker, phrase-turner, most creative person you will never know about
Donald
Fagan and Walter Becker (#steelydan)
The
core of Steely Dan, complex musical phrasers, obtuse lyricists, true originals
Lyndi
Dani
My
sister, business diva, 20-plus-year chronic pain sufferer, and future author
Jesse
Owens
Olympic
athlete, the most important sports victories of all time by sticking it in
Hitler’s face at just the right time
Seth
Godin
Author,
tells-it-like-it-is mentor at a distance, butt-kicker
Gary
Garner
MD,
hospice worker, doctor of humanitarian aid, doctor of fun for everybody, and doctor
of pyrotechnics
Dan
Simons
Discovered
my work and actually found people who bought my work for cash money
My
Parents
Who
taught me that to be creative was important for a better life
Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann
The guys who created Helvetica type
font, widely considered the greatest font of all time
Roy Hobbs
Fictional baseball player, dream
follower, opportunity-maker, stadium lights exploder
Gary Larson #farside
Far Side comics creator, only
newspaper comic that made me genuinely laugh just about every time
Eyvind Earle
Artist, Disney art director
Walt Disney (while I'm at it) #disney
I once wanted to work for Disney, but
I never really dreamed of working for Disney. What I dreamt of was doing what
Walt did. My jealousy demonstrates my admiration
Jerry Rice #jerryrice
Pro football player, played for my
team, best at his position ever, hardest practicing player ever
Joseph Smith, Jr. #mormon
Prophet of the Restoration, submitter, receiver and transmitter, urban planner, innovator
Robert Frost
Poet, realist and optimist at the
same time
Willie Mays #williemays
Probably the greatest baseball player
of all time, played for my Giants, fought prejudice the right way
William Goldman
Screenwriter, clever mind, taught me
about the layers of comedy
Alief
Priliamtono
Leader,
rocker, philanthropist, captain of Indonesia
Gene Roddenberry
Science fiction writer, visionary
Mr. and Mrs. G. Max Williamson - Mr. Ramay - Mr.
Duarte
Music teachers who demanded I push
myself to learn the language and freedom of music
Paul Cox
BYU biology professor, demander of
higher artistic and cultural expression
Tracey and Joel Christensen
Founders-Now I Can Foundation,
turning overwhelming challenges on its head
Beva Shelby
Friend, cancer survivor
Clement Mok @clementmok
Design pioneer
Ed Wheeler
Butte College teacher, wonderful performances of "Please Mister Custer", taught me to question authority, during a play that he starred in, I watched him get notice that his home was actually on fire ... and he gutted out his performance all the way through.
George Lucas @georgelucas
Filmmaker, writer, builder of
universes
Stein Eriksen
Skiing innovator – inventor of ski
aerials, gold medal Olympian, entrepreneur
Guy Kawasaki @guykawasaki
Original Apple Evangelist, online
guru, engagement hound
Mark Comer @accidentalguru
Entrepreneur, musician,
philanthropist, rocker, and dream-making evangelist
Herb Caen
Writer for the San Francisco
Chronicle
All of my young men's church
leaders/scout leaders
For teaching me the basics and
encouraging me to develop my talents and increase my influence in helping others
Muhammad Yunus
Innovator, creator of Grameen Bank
microfinance concept to stimulate business creation and growth in impoverished
nations, created Grameen Foundation as charitable arm
The farm jobs I had that taught me
how to work, helped me pay for my dating habits, and inspired me to get a
college degree to do something else!
The correct pronunciation of the word
"almond" with a silent 'L'
fun hook for conversation (sounds
like “salmon”)
The San Francisco Giants
Pro baseball team, provider of joy
each summer and a lifetime narrative of consistency to draw upon again and
again
Terry
Wardle
Entrepreneur,
gave me my first real job, chance-taker, hilarious takes on human nature
Tim
Hansen
Kind
heart through tough breaks
Mike
Simpson and Mike Ramsden
My
high school art teachers who gave me the feeling that I might actually be able
to learn to create art of substance someday
Jason
McElwain
Autistic,
focused, athlete, price-payer, made the most of an opportunity when it came
along
Dr.
Seuss
Broke
the ‘60s mold in literature for children
Minerva
Tichert
Rancher’s
wife, art student, storyteller
Hameed and Enah
Childless couple
saved children from the streets of Surabaya, Indonesia - growing into a Muslim
orphanage named Mambul Ulum, with nearly 150 kids ... supported by their own
industry and built brick by brick. 5 Star Legacy Foundation supports their cause.
Along with my mom
who was my first Cub Scout leader, Betty Miles was an early Scout leader who
transitioned me from the world of being a child to the world of young men with
potential and with responsibility.
Danny
Cruces
Drummer,
innovator, a true prodigyRock and Roll
You gotta have rock and roll music if you wanna dance with me
Dave
Wottle
1972
Olympics gold medal runner, hat wearer
Satchel
Paige
Baseball
legend, Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in Major League
Baseball, but Paige is the man responsible for making that possible.
Mark (Mohinder Ralph) Richins
Friend, used the saxophone as a way to meet girls, consistent, faithful in important things
Steve
Wozniak @stevewoz
Founding
partner of Apple Computers, created the tools I used most of my business career
Thomas
Knoll and Seetharaman Narayanan
Two
guys whose names have always been on the open screen credits when you open
Adobe Photoshop, one of the tools I have always used on my Apple Computers and
whose names I have always noticed for no apparent reason
My Parents-in-Law and Parents-in-Step
Who didn't have to be so accepting, but make me feel like I always have allies no matter what
Randy
Morris and Boyd Tidwell
Two
of my favorite big-brained friends, object-oriented software engineering
pioneers
David
Sanborn
Saxophone-playing
savant
The
boys from Chico 1st Ward
Friends,
fellow campers, teammates, photo circa 1976
Carl
Sagan
Taught
me to look toward the skies and imagine all of creation
Spencer
W. Kimball
Humble
servant of God and latter-day Prophet
Ben
and Jerry
Ice
cream and ice cream marketing innovators
Paul
MacCready, Jr.
Aeronautic
engineer, designer of first
human-powered airplanes, the Gossamer Condor and Gossamer Albatross, winner of
Kremer Prize for the first to create such craft and fly a specific course
Norman
Rockwell
Artist, illustrator, storyteller with few peers
The
Astronauts
All
of them. I’m a fan.
My
Siblings
Patient,
accepting, you are all lovable, interesting, loyal, fun to be
around, leaders, and quirky - all of you
John
Singer Sargent
Portrait
artist, the perfect combination of alchemy and stroke simplicity
Martin
Hayward
Humble
missionary who insisted on going even though he was too old, ran a marathon,
and then unassumingly ran it all the way back again. In 1980, that might have been unprecedented
John
Clayton
Jazz
composer and musician, wrote the arrangement of the “Whitney Houston” version
of The Star Spangled Banner performed at the 1990 Super Bowl … the most
beautiful arrangement I have ever heard, and the only arrangement I have found
that splits up the musical repetition of the first part into two completely
different phrases … the first being about the expression of having to fight for
freedom, and the second about the fabric of the flag itself in that setting.
Absolutely unprecedented. Stirring.
Chris Ramsden
Highly creative mind, partner in a pretend radio show, code-cracker. We had big ideas as 8 year olds. Approached our elementary school teacher once about doing a special project that required extra AV equipment. She actually said to us this: "You are no different than all of the other cabbages in the class." Have we proven her wrong yet?
Mr.
Long (Brayden’s dad)
Little
League Baseball coach, on the way to take an at-bat, told me he said I could
hit a home run, told me to get my back elbow up, so I believed him and I hit one
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