Who Influenced You?

Influenced might not be the right word, but I couldn't really come up with a better one. But who do you think has had the most impact on you? How you think? Act? Speak? Respond? I think it's a much tougher question than we probably think. And spare me the bullshit that some people spew about "doing it on their own." There are very, VERY, few people who legitimately can claim minimal outside help. Sure, we all have decisions and actions that must be carried out on our own, but to insinuate that there weren't many people who guided you and led you along the way is asinine. (Sorry, I've actually heard someone say this before - "I did it ALL on my own, no one helped me, blah, blah, blah." And I knew the person. I can assure you, that was not the case).
Family is the first answer that springs to most peoples' minds, because, by proximity, they are most likely to have had the greatest impact (via sheer volume of contact, including during one's formative years). And, if you are basically the same person you were at 18, then that is probably true. And, obviously different people could have different levels of impact on you, in different areas of life. But at the same time, if you abide by different principles in different areas in your life, then maybe you need to reflect a bit. For instance, I think things like honesty and integrity are vital, whether it is in your personal, professional, or any other area of life. It astounds me how everyone expects others to act so righteously, but when it comes time for them to make the same decisions, they will excuse and talk away all responsibility for it.
Whoa, got quite a bit off track there. In any event, I think the point I was trying to make is that, for instance, my parents had a large impact on me (no shit, Sherlock). They instilled values in me that I try to apply and use in every facet of my life. Whether decisions will hurt my bottom line in business is not my #1 concern - decisions will be made based on whether they align with my values. And that is due to what was instilled in me from a young age. It may not get me "ahead" in life monetarily - but I'll feel a lot better about myself, and I think it will work itself out in the long run.
Professionally, there are probably too many people to even list as to who has impacted me. But it's also interesting to note that, while I am a business owner and strength coach, there are people from other industries who have influenced me, probably more than I realize. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - underlying principles can carry over through any industry.
I realize this post was probably pretty weird and didn't really have a constant stream, or theme, and was really shittily written. But I'm tired, had some thoughts running through my head, and wanted to get them down. And it made a lot more sense when I was thinking about them. And I'm doubting many people read this anyway. But in any event, I think it's an interesting thought exercise to do sometime. You might be surprised what you find.