I may admire them, but I do not want to be another "them".

All throughout my life, I've met and swooned over the lives and careers of different people. Often times I would obsess over how much I wanted my life to turn out like theirs or how much I wanted to accomplish what they have done. Mind you most of my "role models" were famous, much older, and of a different demographic, but I still wanted to follow in their footsteps. Without a doubt, I was very uneasy about whether or not it would work for me and ultimately I stopped reaching for the lifestyles of my role models. Why, do you ask? This is entirely my opinion, but role models aren't worth having. You may walk the same path as someone, follow their same steps, attend the same schools, read the same books, but you may not end up like them.

Why box yourself in? You can be better.

Having a famous role model can make you complacent, and even more likely to give up on your goals when you realize you aren't living up to your role model's standards. Plus, what happens when your so called role model falls short of his or her expectations? Eventually, they will because we're all human. But setting your own goals without having to match and compare them to someone else along the way will make you work harder. You'll be much more focused on yourself and not someone else's timeline of achievements. As we saw in the 2016 Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps looks forward when he swims, while his opponents, who may even look up to him as well check to see if they are behind or ahead of him. Constantly comparing yourself to someone else will always slow you down. All you truly need is a goal and a plan, follow that plan and focus on yourself, carry yourself the way you see fit, the way you were raised, and watch how far you'll go without a famous role model.