The definition of role model
In these challenging times, we have right now with the expansion of mobile devices and the internet, it is hard to find direction. The population of planet Earth is striving for leadership. The truth is, it probably been that way for ages. Among the millions of people, there are very few distinctive leaders to follow. What is the role model? It is simply a person whose success or behavior can be emulated by younger people or even kids. This could be everything – from business to music, from fighting and breaking the rules to be a corporate salesman or religious leader.
Is having a role model good or bad? Actually, it doesn’t really matter, because the role models always been followed and will be followed in the future. This is a part of human nature to find examples to learn on, you can’t change that. The only thing you can do is to figure out how this works and what you can get from finding a role model for yourself. This is the whole point of this article, or even a role model essay if I dare to call it like that! So get ready, because I will make a lot of points and will try to help you understand how this complex psychological phenomenon works and what advantages and benefits you can get out of it. Are you ready? Let’s go!
What are the benefits of having a role model?
It’s quite obvious that having a pretty bad role model can ruin your life if you don’t stop acting according to it. But what happens if you find an example of a leader that might actually help? Here are five benefits you will get from having a role model in your life:
- You will know how a successful person looks like.
No matter what you do, having someone to look up to will give you an understanding of a characteristic of a successful person. Let’s take business, for example, you may have some prominent personality like Richard Branson as your model. Reading his books and watching his interviews will not teach you the mechanics of a business, but you will learn what qualities and work rate are required to achieve his level of success. - You will know how to deal with obstacles.
The aforementioned Richard Branson had dyslexia and was bad at math. Can you believe that? - You will have additional inspiration.
Maybe the world you live in right now is quite depressing, but having a role model will help you see the light at the end of the tunnel. - You will avoid making mistakes.
It’s better to be aware of possible pitfalls to avoid mistakes, right? - You will be the best version of yourself.
Having a role model will help you to live up to your fullest potential!
How do you choose a role model?
There are many people out there, as well as examples to live your life. What is the best way to pick a role model for you? How to find it? Of course, it is easy if it is some great country leader or a famous person, but role models are everywhere. A housewife can be a perfect role model if you want to be one, and she is great at it. Here are some tips that will help you make the right decision:
- The person must have a sense of purpose in his life. Some tangible set of goals and a vision to follow;
- The person must have great communication skills;
- Your role model must be very different from you – it is an essential thing to have it in the first place and grow;
- You must have access to information about the person’s successes and failures. Nobody’s perfect if a person seems to be like it – it is probably a lack of information.
The most important thing to keep in mind is to not emulate blindly. You need to get inspiration from the best but follow your path every step of the way. Role models are perfect to guide you, but copying only can get you so far. To live your life to the fullest, you need always stick to your unique style and be yourself because it is best for you!
Role model artist: Which one is best for you?
The simple answer – the one that inspires. Inspires you to create, to introduce something new and fresh to this world. Arguably, every artist that has some kind of art product becomes a role model automatically. The real question is which one to emulate. The answer to this is much more complicated because the value of art is very subjective. Something that is not so popular right now, can become iconic as the years go by. Of course, you can’t go wrong with emulating famous painters of the past for example, but the chances are the genius of modern art is living here with us, and he is worthy to be followed. You need to keep your finger on the pulse of the arts and keep in touch with the latest trends and techniques to make a decision for yourself and find your idols and avoid pretenders and wannabes!
Role model singer or any other musician to emulate
Speaking of musicians, in particular, the role models here are crucial to developing a musician from the very beginning. Sometimes it is hard to follow a certain role model for the whole cycle of musical activities. The smart thing to do for musicians is to combine the best elements from your favorite artists and develop your own voice.
The other thing to consider for musicians is an image part. Today is very trendy to follow rappers and their questionable life decisions. The morale of the “popular lifestyle” is very questionable because the drug and alcohol abuse will never lead you to anything great. Here is how Eminem debunks the idea of rappers as heroes:
Role model lyrics by Eminem:
I came to the club drunk with a fake I-D
Don’t you want to grow up to be just like me?
I’ve been with ten women who got H-I-V
Now don’t you want to grow up to be just like me?
The song is 21 years old but his message is as real as ever. Today we have rappers who die under the age of nineteen because of the abuse of different substances. It is a lifestyle that is propagandized and “cool” at the moment, but there is nothing cool in death. Rap music is great as any other genre, but for the youth, it is very important to distinguish music and bad life patterns. The rap is the new rock in terms of this, but luckily there will be always artists that stay healthy and serve as a hero to the masses. Search the “Straight Edge” movement for more information on this!
Picking athletes as a role model
If we are talking about sports, it is impossible to strive here without a healthy role model. For bodybuilders, it is Arnold Schwarzenegger, for tennis players Roger Federer, for wrestlers it is an Olympic gold medalist and sports entertainer Kurt Angle. You name it! The world of professional sports is a dangerous place and there are examples of people that took a wrong path and ruined their life, don’t let it be you! If you want to be a professional athlete and rise to opportunities like a professional skateboarder and legend Tony Hawk jumps up the ramp you need the best role model possible, and better to have a couple of them. It will be smart to look not only for their sports achievements but also how they managed to build their life in general. Because no matter what, we all are looking for a happy and balanced life that will make us better than we were yesterday.
Who is a good role model in history?
If history taught us anything, it taught the fact that there have always been worthy role models to follow in every era or walk of life. Here are just some of them:
Paul McCartney
The music icon from one of the most successful bands ever. To this day he continues to write music, help others and maintain a healthy lifestyle. He is the antithesis of a rock star stereotype and a great example for any musician to follow.
Steve Jobs
He is no one-hit-wonder in the world of technology. This prominent person proved to revolutionize the world of technology and business and multiple occasions. He has a great autobiography – an awesome place to start for anyone who wants to follow his path.
The Dalai Lama
This person practices tolerance and piece – which is helpful in any field you might choose. Follow his quotes and life path to take some important lessons and implement them in your personal world!
Albert Einstein
The science genius that risen to fame later in his life. He is one of the most motivational persons to follow in any field. You are living under a rock if you never heard any Albert Einstein story in your life!
Marylin Monroe
This gorgeous woman is an icon for actors. She battled rough childhood and social stereotypes to rise to prominence and become famous. She changed the perception of women in society in many more ways than one! Learn her fascinating story of life and you can find multiple inspirational moments to boost your motivation to succeed in anything!
Some role model quotes
We had mentioned famous personalities, now let’s see what they had to say about life and maybe you will find something useful here!
“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
That could be The Dalai Lama, but that what actually Paul McCartney wrote in the song by the Beatles. Here is what The Dalai Lama said:
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”
Which is a great motto to live your life. Albert Einstein is very motivational in trying new things:
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
Marylin Monroe teaches us to be brave and not perfect:
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than to be absolutely boring.”
Concluding this list of quotes, Steve Jobs states that it is very important to always be yourself:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living somebody else’s life.”
The age of the internet: Role model meme?
With the technological progress and the progress of society in general, parents have less time to be a role model for their children. The kids look up the internet and can find some bad role models there:
Charlie Sheen is a good guy! The point here is that internet culture can become a role model for your kid if you don’t pay enough attention to his life.
So if you don’t have enough free time for your children make sure they are aware of the finest role models in the world. Help them find their hero, their idol, and they will definitely succeed in life. The worst thing you can do here is limit internet access for your children – providing the best advice on the role models is a way to go!
How can I be a role model for youth?
If you are a parent – you are a role model, as simple as that! Even if you are young and up-and-coming there are still people looking up to you. So this article will be concluded with some tips on how to be a role model yourself!
- Make a positive change in your community to impact people in a good way
- Set high goals for yourself and people around you
- Inspire others with living your life just as you want to
- “Look in a mirror” every day and gather feedback to grow
- Stand for your beliefs and be vocal about it
- Make sure that your action match your beliefs
- Respect people in your community no matter the age
- Always believe in yourself and your abilities
- Deal with abusers, speak up, confront the problems
- Admit your mistake and flaws and use them as the learning experience
- Be a part of a team or community that matches your beliefs and goals
Of course, there is a lot of nuances on how to be a perfect role model, but these tips are good for starting thinking in the right direction. Here is an awesome speech of finding a good role model that matters:
To sum it all up – having a hero or idol is very important in our lives because it helps to shape who we are. Every society needs leaders that will make it better and provide a better future. We all can be leaders and role models to a different degree, we don’t need to be extremely rich and famous to be that. Hopefully, this role model essay made some positive changes in the way you think, and your actions will change our world to be a better place in the future. Always remember that your life and your ideas matter and if you truly believe in them to the fullest degree – there will be others to follow. Just make sure that your ideas and beliefs are good and the future will be bright! One man or woman or even a child can change the planet, there are numerous cases to prove that! If you are young – pick the role model and impact the world positively, if you are a role model be aware of people watching and dare to achieve your dreams!
Short questions on Role Model topic
What is the role model?
A role model is a person whose behavior is emulated by other people. Role models can be good and can be bad. In some cases people emulate someone by will, in others it is unintentional.
How to find a role model?
To find a role model you need to look for people who succeeded in areas you are interested in. You need to know all the facts about this person, both negative and positive. It is important for seeing the whole picture.
Why am I a good role model?
You are a good role model if you see a positive change around you. If you see that people that you are influencing become better – your job as a good role model is complete. Every good leader leaves a positive influence.
How to be a role model?
To be a role model you need to know who you are. You need to have some strong beliefs for what you stand for. And, of course, you need to have the courage to fight for what you believe in.
What does role model mean?
A role model means that a certain person achieved a level of success in something that worth to be emulated. It could be a good parent or a famous actor, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is a good example for other people.
Who is a good role model?
There are plenty of role models around. It really depends on the area you are interested in. Generally, the qualities of a good role model are common – dedication, integrity, intelligence, and positive impact.
Thank you very much for such an inspiring and motivating article, it is like a signpost when you are confused and do not know what model of behavior to choose in life. Yes, I agree, there really are a lot of role models who really have the right values and do the right thing, without currently embracing the wrong image associated with drugs and alcohol. For some reason, it’s kind of fashionable at school now, probably because of the rappers that young people admire so much at their age.
For me, the number one question has always been who I am and who I want to be in this life, what profession to choose and what kind of person to be in order to correctly set an example for the people around me. After all, having chosen a profession, you spend precious young years and brain resources to understand who you are. And I am sincerely happy for those people who knew who they would be from the very beginning.