Why You Should Become Your Own Role Model
Start writing a post
Self Love

If You Want To Continually Flourish, You Need To Become Your Own Role Model

We must learn to chase after a goal that is ever changing and developing at a rate we might never be able to keep up with in order to ensure we are constantly growing.

125
If You Want To Continually Flourish, You Need To Become Your Own Role Model

From the moment we are born, we are thrown into a perpetual cycle of trial and error to learn how to navigate the world around us. Even now, we are still mediating our place and purpose in society. We learn by doing: we watch others, process the information or behavior, make our own modifications and then re-enact this behavior. We instinctively search for role models, someone to look up to for guidance when we feel lost and unsure of ourselves.

I remember all of the open-ended essays and application essays I had to write about who my role model was. People seem to think that they can learn more about someone based on who they designate as their number one role model. In reality, at least for me, they got what I thought my role model should be. I was always trapped in a mix of my own uncertainty and indecision and would, ironically, turn to people around me to see what they put. Don't get me wrong, my mom is someone I look up to in many ways. I've always been able to appreciate bits and pieces of people's characteristics, but never anything substantial enough to go anywhere near genuinely labeling them as a role model. I breezed through years of answering this question by resorting to half-heartedly designating my mom as my role model. Fast forward to the 2014 Oscars where Matthew McConaughey won Best Actor.

In his acceptance speech he said, "You see, every day, and every week, and every month, and every year of my life, my hero is always ten years away. I'm never going to be my hero. I'm not going to obtain that and that's fine with me because it keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing".

I had watched this speech live, but it didn't fully resonate with me until a few years later when I rediscovered a clip of the speech on Instagram. You know how sometimes you just see something that you could've seen numerous times before but in that instant it finally clicks? It's such a simple concept, but my mind was blown. Finally, there was a concept of having a role model that I could wholeheartedly get on board with. He rationalized what I had been feeling all those years: the desire of labeling the best version of myself as my role model but pushing that aside in fear of being labeled vain or egotistic.

Sometimes in choosing others to be our role models, we begin to lose parts of ourselves along the way. In some cases, people try so much to be like someone else that they forget that their role model succeeded by excelling at being themselves. Trying to model yourself after someone else to a more extreme extent can also turn out to be more discouraging than motivating. We can't excel at being someone else and because of this, we may end up feeling discouraged by our perceived shortcomings. In choosing a better version of yourself as your role model you are not only gaining full acceptance and appreciation for your own strengths and weaknesses, but you're setting yourself on a path for constant growth. By continually having something to work toward, you avoid becoming stagnant and complacent just because you've achieved whatever goal you set out for yourself.

What happens when we achieve a goal? We feel pride in our accomplishment, pride that gives us a sense of fulfillment and security. This sense of fulfillment and security is the very thing that can stifle growth. If the glass is already full, why would we continue to fill it? The second we stop learning and being motivated to grow, we lose one of the most important traits that distinguish us as humans: the ability and hunger to understand and augment the world around us. By setting a static goal for ourselves, we have defined our success and therefore placed a limit on what we can accomplish when, in reality, our potential is limitless.

We've all heard the phrase, "the journey is the destination," a million times and there's a reason it's so well-known. It's undeniably true. Sometimes people work so hard to achieve a certain goal that they skip over enjoying the process. If you don't love the process as much, if not more, than the goal, you're doing it wrong. Everything is a learning experience. If you love the process, the fact that you're working towards a goal that never ceases to change becomes much easier to accept.

Just like a baby learns to crawl by moving towards a desirable object that is moved the moment they're about to reach it, we must learn to chase after a goal that is ever changing and developing at a rate that we might never be able to keep up with. It's okay to never achieve this kind of goal because it ensured that we never stopped learning and aspiring towards greatness which is successful in itself.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

45272
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

28623
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

953185
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

160087
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments