Good Role Models Help Others Help Themselves
Everyone is somebody’s role model. Each day someone looks at your life and evaluates the decisions and judgments you make. The type of decisions you make and how you choose to live your life will determine if you are a positive or negative role model. Following a few simple rules will ensure you impact those who look to you in a positive way.
Always Do What You Say
A person who always follows through with what they say is a good role model to others. Do not make promises, either verbally or implied, that you do not intend to keep. The wisest person I have ever known once told me to say what I mean and mean what I say. When you say that you are going to do something people expect you to follow through. Even when completing the task will be difficult on you, always do what you say.
Finish What You Start
Another aspect of always doing what you say is finishing what you start and finishing it on time. If you make a commitment to do something be sure you complete it. If you or your child commits to play on a sports team make sure to attend every practice and game. At work complete every task on time and to the best of your ability. Be the type of person that someone will call upon if they need something important done.
Be Trustworthy
Trustworthiness is an important characteristic of a good role model. Being trustworthy means a lot of things. It means that someone can count on you to do what you say. It means that when someone shares something with you in confidence you will not tell it to others. Trustworthiness is earned overtime by doing what you say and not betraying people.
Be Truthful
Being honest and truthful helps build trust, but it is more than doing what you say. Being honest means that you always tell the truth, even when it hurts. People often find excuses to lie, but lying only hurts the person who lies and the person who is lied to. When you are always truthful people will listen to and believe what you say. When they are in a tough situation they understand that they can come to you for good, honest advice. Being truthful in everything you do is a great way to be a good role model.
Make Good Choices
A good role model makes posititive choices that others can follow. Good choices that a person can make include simple things like eating healthy and exercising. Good choices can also include not taking drugs or drinking alcohol. Teenagers and young adults can be a good role model by not skipping school and making good grades. With every choice you make, remember that someone is watching you.
Show Others How to Make Good Choices
Let others see how you make a good choice. Let them see you seek advice from someone you trust and weigh all of your options. Let them see you consider the consequences of your decisions. Teaching someone how to make wise choices is as important as letting them see you make a good choice.
Lead By Example
Most people can tell others what to do, but very few people can simply live a life that positively leads others. This is a good example of how you must live your life in the way you tell others to live theirs. You cannot tell other people not to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol if you do these activities. You cannot use foul language and be disrespectful to others and then expect people to respect you. The way you act and the decisions you make in your life will be more meaningful than any word that ever comes from your mouth. Remember that people are watching you and looking at the way you live your day to day life.
Admit When You Are Wrong
Everyone makes mistakes. You will not always make the right decisions or do the right think, but when you make a mistake you have to take responsibility for it. Taking responsibility for a mistake means that you do what ever you can to make it right. You should apologize to any person who you offended when you made a mistake. By admitting your mistakes and working to correct them you teach others that it is not the end of the world if they mess up.
Think Positive
People look up to others who have the ability to think positively. Don’t always look for the bad in a situation, but look at what’s good in it and how you can improve it. Don’t gripe and complain about the way your life is going. Think of others who are in worse shape than you and then count the blessings you have in your life. If a person looks hard enough he can always find someone who is in greater need than himself and be thankful for the good things in his life. Bad situations do exist, but a person must identify what he can change and tackle the challenge with all he is worth.
Be Kind and Respectful
A good role model always treats others and himself with respect and kindness. You should never make a decision based solely on how it will benefit you. Consider other people’s feelings when making decisions. You do not have to agree with the way a person is living or even like the person, but to be a good role model you must be kind and respectful. Follow the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Learn Your Whole Life
When a person determines that they know everything, they become a stumbling block to those around them. Embrace learning as a lifetime activity. If you have the opportunity, go to college and earn a degree in something you love. But learning is so much more than formal education. Look for the areas in your life that need growth and pursue greater knowledge in those areas. If your eating habits are unhealthy, learn about nutrition. If you want to fix your own automobile, learn to be a mechanic. Learn a hobby or craft that can help you cope with day to day stress. An active mind is a healthy mind and by making learning a lifetime endeavor you can inspire others to walk the same path.
Take Care of the Environment
To be a good role model you must take care of the environment. There are multiple ways to take care of the environment. Recycling is easy and keeps trash out of over crowded land fills. Recycling also saves precious resources like trees. Keep the land around your home clean. Pick up trash on the side of the road. Never litter. Walking instead of driving a car saves gas and does not emit harmful exhaust into the air. When walking is not feasible, carpool with others. Another way to take care of the environment is to help keep waterways clean. Work with local organizations to pick up trash and debris from streams, creeks and lakes. Keeping the environment clean and healthy not only benefits you, but also benefits those who look up to you.
Volunteer
Volunteer to help those in your community. There are so many people in need of assistance, and you truly can make a difference in the lives of those you help. Become a mentor to a child or a young adult in need of guidance. Adopt an elderly person and visit them often to make sure they are being taken care of. Participate in community activities such as fundraisers and cancer awareness programs. Read to young children at the school or library. Volunteer for meals on wheels or in a homeless shelter. When you volunteer others realize that you care for more people than yourself. Their respect for you grows and they begin to look upon you as a role model.
Have a Strong Set of Beliefs
Good role models know what they believe and live their lives accordingly. Having a strong set of beliefs does not mean that you will never change how you believe, but it does mean that you will not change them every day. When you know what you believe and why you believe that way others can trust that you will make your decisions based on those believes. They will know who you are and respect you, even if they believe differently.
Have Character
JC Watts once said that character is doing the right thing, even when nobody’s watching. Do the right thing every day in every way. It does not matter if someone else will have knowledge of your actions or decisions: do the right thing. Determine ahead of time what you believe and the path you will take and you will not have to make decision when you are faced with a trying situation.
Being a good role model is more than doing good every once in a while, it is living your live in a way that others can follow and have positive results. To be a good role model you must consistently make good choices. A good role model is not perfect, but he admits his mistakes and takes responsibility for fixing them. Being a good role model is not easy, but it is well worth the effort. As you strive to live a life others can copy, you will grow as a person and develop pride in who you are. Simply remember that other people are watching you and how you live your life can determine how they will live theirs. In everything you do, strive to be a good role model.
Such a good one