When you get highly impressed with someone for one or more times, you have tendency to choose him/her consciously or unconsciously as your role model. At this point of time, World Football Cup fever is at its top and has caught fancy of millions. Several sports lovers have or would choose their role models; but by end of the tournament, many would also drop their role models like a hot potato!
It has been seen that whenever a political or apolitical leader starts a popular movement, public scrambles to install him/her as its role model. Winner in an election, singer in a competition or celebrity in a show suddenly finds thousands of followers, adoring him/her like no less than the God. They start to track every step or speech of the role model/s blindly. However, faster such role models rise in their popularity among followers, equally fast is their retreat! Many made Barack Obama as their role model, when he first became US President in January 2009. In little more than 5 years, his popularity has taken a severe beating and so is he position as role model with many! What has gone so bad between then and now with Obama, there is no rational explanation!!
Is that how role modeling should work?
Misnomers in making of a role model
There is a lot of confusion and illusion around who can or should be your role model! You often get impressed with a person under following situations:
- When person (henceforth “he” used without any gender bias) shows strength in areas, where you are weak.
- When person gives you impression that he can address your grievances, greed, guilt or growth.
- His physique and/or physical features are fascinating to you.
- He is able to trigger your emotions – positive or negative.
Under positive emotions, you feel more at ease, excited, enthusiastic or optimistic.
Under negative emotions, you get support from him for your fury, frustration, rebellion or dejection. - He creates euphoria among his audience and you feel tempted to flow with it.
Such euphoria can be through script, speech, singing, acting, playing or like. - He makes you ecstatic!
You feel mesmerized by his actions or skills for inexplicable reasons!!
All of above situations are imposing and insinuating; but role model/s selected under influence of these would be destined to failure sooner or later. Such models are actually a liability on you.
There is only one criterion, which can make your selection successful – when a person creates inspiration in you and you become thoughtful, peaceful and positive, that is the person who deserves to become your role model!
Relevance of a role model
Life is exciting, when there is continuous learning! Best and fastest learning comes by example/s!!
And a role model is always an excellent example to emulate.
A role model helps in several ways. Under crisis, your confidence can crack and convert into confusion. A role model can help restore not only your confidence, but gives you courage to emerge stronger after crisis. When you are in dilemma, he can dissolve it and drive you forward with decisions. He has deep impact on your morals and manners.
I have personally seen in many corporates how an influential boss molds culture and style of his/her folks effortlessly. To cite a real example, several sub-ordinates and secretaries in a company had developed habit of receiving visitors or responding with a style of “Hello” on phone in the same way as their highly respected boss!
The best a role model can do is to shape your character and make you charismatic! He is also your true mentor and guide!!
What does a true role model mean to you
- He/she is a blessing for you.
- He elicits inspiration in you, but not emotions.
- He takes away your illusions.
- He gives you strength.
- When you are at cross roads, you are most likely to remember him and you find a right road to choose!
- He has no conflict with your interests.
- He keeps your morals and hopes high during high and low cycles that you go through.
- He encourages you to learn but not lean on him!
In order to derive maximum benefits from your role model, you may learn his stories, but you must decipher his spirit and substance beneath; watch his actions, but assimilate his attributes; look at his images, but fathom his intentions and ideas.
So, a role model is a great asset for you, provided you make a right choice as above. Then, you would have all reasons to rejoice and reap the rewards!
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