Not everybody needs to be admired for the same things. It's easy to find something to admire someone for. Even when thinking of people I don't like I always find something.
Discussion
Really well put π
I admire you for being smarter than you feel like convincing others to think of you.
Reminds me of how professional chess players evaluate their position and their opponents position without any emotion. They identify the strengths and weaknesses of both and then the best next move becomes much more obvious.