Did you know that once the world believed it was impossible to run a mile under 4 minutes? And that the light bulb, the automobile, even air travel, TV or the internet, were once deemed crazy ideas, that would never take off, prevail or have a future? And look at the future we live in, with all those things, that for us are so natural, and yet we still think some things are impossible…
Did you know that star trek’s teleportation is actually becoming a reality? Scientists have been studying how to transport information and two theories are already taking form – entangled particles & transmitting information about atoms through a fiber optic cable. And who hasn’t thought about having a cloak of invisibility like Mr. Harry Potter of the famous franchise? Well, that is also becoming true and taking form outside fiction books.
But why have these things come to be? Why were they once considered impossible?
Well, this might be the effect of a role model! Do you know why we hear names like Einstein, Darwin, Thomas Edison or Nikola Tesla, so intrinsically connected to everything cutting edge? Because they paved the way. They were once considered insane for the same things they are now so well known. What people told them was impossible, they didn’t listen and just made it happen, and so becoming role models for new scientists and inventions to come.
That is also why celebrities have such an impact in our society because they are followed physically and on social media, by people watching their every move, admiring their lifestyle that they eventually tend to make the same choices.
A role model is someone who made it first, or well. Is someone who didn’t listen to naysayers and simply believed in their idea, their thoughts, and followed their passions. Role models know that whenever they have a breakthrough, they have opened a door for another person or even a generation to come.
Role models are a must for self-improvement because we must have a standard to strive for or compare ourselves with. There must be a “greatness” that we wish to achieve if we want to have even a mediocre amount of success in any aspect of life. Therefore, it is important to have the right inspiration to discover who you are and do your best.
All great leaders, sportsmen and high-achievers have on thing in common – they all have positive role models whom they strived to emulate in some way, and eventually end up better than them.
Argentinian player Lionel Messi confessed to having French legend Zinedine Zidane as his role model in football when he was growing up, labelling him a “hero”.
Our expectations are usually based on what we see around us. We should choose our role models wisely, those who are obviously at the top of their game, the best in their field – but with a strong sense of moral and an upright character. Of course, every human being has their flaws but they should be inspiring in spite of their weaknesses. This will help us to see how it’s possible to overcome or simply turn a weakness into a strength, and not let flaws hold us back from being the best of us.
If your role model is your parent, teacher or a family member, you have the advantage of having access to them so that you can talk to them and get tips on how to go about things. They can become your personal coaches, and good ones too because they care about you and seeing you do well is as important to them as it is to you. If that person is someone out of your inner circle, try to know more about the right role model for the kind of person you want to be/become and use the lessons of his or her life to deal with your life. Mostly we get to see a successful person, but we don’t realize the struggles they had to go through to get to become who they are. Study them and try to learn about those struggles and see if you are also facing similar problems, surely you will find a solution there.
And last but not least, always have worthy role models who are among the best in their field or have had greatest success with what we want to do. This way we will set high expectations for ourselves, making us give our best and not settle for mediocre success.
And like Norman Vincent Peale said: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
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