Thanks to Barrie Summy  and to Larramie at Seize A Daisy for organizing this roundup about the people we admire.

For the past several days, I’ve thought about which person I most admire.  I’d never really thought about that question, so it was difficult to come up one name, so I’ve decided to list several.

Mahatma Gandhi

Paramahansa Yoganada

Greg Mortensen

Elizabeth Gilbert

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) lived a humble life in search for peace.  His philosophy on the subjects of truth, trust, and self-sacrifice is admirable.  If you are interested in reading more about Gandhi’s life, you can check out his website: http://www.mkgandhi.org/

Paramahansa Yoganada (1893-1952) was a pioneer bringing the teachings of India’s ancient science and philosophy of Yoga and meditation to the United States.  He founded the Self-Realization Fellowship to disseminate his teachings.  To learn more about Yoganada, see his website: http://www.yogananda-srf.org/ or read The Autobiography of a Yogi.

Greg Mortensen, author of Three Cups of Tea, also deserves my admiration.  His journey from mountain climber to fulfilling a promise to build schools in Afghanistan is awe inspiring.  His life is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished if you follow your heart.  To learn more about this humanitarian, go to his website: http://www.gregmortenson.com/

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, is another person I admire.  In addition to being a good writer, she inspires millions to search inside themselves and discover who they truly are.  Only when we know who we are can we give of ourselves fully in love.  If you’d like to read more about Elizabeth Gilbert, go to her website: http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/