Perfection is the biggest flaw a role model can have. When someone is put on a pedestal, a loud voice proclaiming their positive attributes and drowning out their weaknesses, it is actively harmful to the people who look up to them. A role model is an example of what others can some day become. When I see people I look up to portrayed as faultless, I despair. There is an insurmountable gap between them and the lost, anxiety-ridden, almost adult struggling to last another day and the person I apparently am supposed to become. But a role model who is open about their flaws, and their past and current struggles? I see them and think…I can be there someday. That visibility is possible a role model's most important quality.
No one has gotten to where they are without struggle and someone who acknowledges those struggles and admits to their hardships is who I want for my role model. Authenticity is the most effective way to inspire the people that surround you.
One of my favorite authors is Robison Wells. His books don’t change the face of literature, but honestly, his writing isn’t what makes him so important to me. He tops my list because he is genuine. Rob has about five different mental illnesses, from panic disorder to skin picking, but he doesn’t hide away. Rob writes often about his struggles on his blog. He’ll tweet that he went to a clinic last night to get help. Anytime I see him at a convention or a book signing, he is there with his service dog Annie, who he sometimes hallucinates is talking to him. Robison is not apologetic about his problems. He has no reason to be. In an article about dealing with mental illness as a writer, he says “There’s no reason to hide it, and no reason to be ashamed of it.”
When we see weakness in someone, that does not mean we should classify them as unfit. We should think of them as human. We can be role models to everyone around us by being approachable, by being open about what we go through every day. I am just a college kid. I sometimes can’t make it to class because my anxiety keeps me trapped in my apartment. I constantly question my self worth. This doesn’t disbar me from becoming who I want to be. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the mastermind of the musical Hamilton, said “Deify your heroes and they'll only disappoint you. Think of them as human, flawed, think of what you might do. Then be someone's hero too.”
Don't hide the struggles you face. Let people know what is happening in your life. Let them see that you come out on the other side of it every day. Be someone’s imperfect hero.
