Are You a Role Model?
When asked who are your role models, often times we answer with the name of a famous athlete or motivational speaker, someone who is well known in the public eye for accomplishing a laundry list of amazing things. We look up to them because they’ve won championships, changed the world, achieved something of greatness that others have not. At one point in their lives though, our role models were ordinary people living ordinary lives. And while this blog isn’t about achieving monumental goals, it is important to note that our role models had to start somewhere and often times their starting points were very similar to ours.
It can be easy to get caught up in the idea that the people we look up to must have achieved something amazing in order to serve as a worthy role model.
Believe it or not though, we are all role models!
Although we may not always see ourselves as such, we all show up in the world in one way or another and our actions and behaviors are noticed by those around us.
If you are a parent you are most certainly a role model for your children, if you fill a leadership role at your place of work, the people who work for (and even with) you are surely looking to you for guidance. If you have even just one friend who confides in you and looks to you for advice during challenging situations, you are a role model. You can be a role model to your spouse, to your siblings, your neighbor and even your fur babies.
As corny as it may sound, we are all role models, all day, every day.
Think about that. . . all day, every day, we are all role models. The decisions we make, or don’t make for that matter, are observed, noticed, and taken into account by the people around us every single day. Our actions do not simply impact our own lives, they also, whether we intend for them to or not, influence the people and communities around us.
When we make the decision to engage with the world in a loving, respectful and kind way, we are setting an example. When we choose to wake up early to go to the gym, prioritize our health, and take care of our bodies we are setting an example. When we decide to do something for ourselves, do something for others or do something for our community, we are setting an example.
The words that come out of our mouths have the ability to influence more than we know. When we speak poorly of our bodies in front of our daughters, we train them to think twice when they look in the mirror. When we don’t stand up for ourselves when confronted with conflict, we teach those around us that it’s ok for them to give up their voice. When we are impatient, disrespectful and unkind we demonstrate to others that behavior is acceptable.
To be honest, the fact that we are all role models can be a somewhat daunting idea to think about. Knowing that all of your actions not only influence your own life, but also the lives of the people you interact with is scary because it means you are powerful and in most cases, it means you are more powerful than you’ve ever thought.
As the saying goes, “With great power, comes great responsibility.”
We must all collectively step into our power as role models in this world and take that responsibility seriously. The best part about this whole thing is that we are all more capable of filling that role than we know. We already have everything we need within us to be a good role model and leave a positive impact on the people and the world around us.
My challenge to you today is to notice the ways in which the actions you take and words you speak make a difference.
Love, Light & the Highest Vibrations,
Lon
