In a recent job interview I was asked to discuss who I consider a role model, and why. The question stuck in my head, as it is a good one. One we should all have thought through in detail. As the answer could have a huge bearing on how we choose to live our lives.
My answer, while true, was also the “easy way out”. I said I considered Lance Armstrong a role model. Why? Because, despite the controversy as to whether he used performance enahncing drugs, he was so hugely successful in his career as a cyclist (and before / now triathlete) despite having fought cancer that threatened to take his life. Moreover, he has used the fame (or should I say infamy?) he created for himself through his cycling as a pulpet from which he has raised huge amounts of money to support others (americans-only!!) who are also suffering the debilitating effects of cancer.
The fact that he has leveraged his own success to help others is a noble way to give back. Even if there are warts…
When you dig deeper though, you find role models in the shdows that are, perhaps, more important and essential to the living of our everyday lives. It’s hard to model our own behaviours after someone with the ressources and reach of a Lance Armstrong. The disparities between our lives are so wide…
So who else would I say is a role model? Well, I suppose at the top of my list is my dad. Despite being dead for almost 17 years, I still find myself asking the question “What would dad do?”…. while I may not always listen to the answer… it is an important litmus test by which I measure my decisions.
More important perhaps is the lesson I learned from his death — and that is to live with an eye to the future but in the present. His death, at 52, cut short a life that was being lived for his retirement years. Much of what he enjoyed in life was being “saved for”… And yet he never reached the point in his life where he could finally spend that savings. That’s a mistake I won’t make.
OK, so after the cliches (celebirty and father) are addressed.. who else have I conciously or subconciously taken lessons from? Well, there’s a few poeple that come to mind immediatey. People who have lived long lives, fought inner demons, survived health scares – or perhaps I should say kicked them in the arse and sent them packing! – and continue to live a healthy, active lifestyle into an age where most would simply be happy with the fact they wake up to another sunrise. I won’t go so far as to name names… I have not asked permission to do so… but I do appreciate the impact that these folks have on my perspective towards life and my thinking of what the future might hold for me…
So… whether you need to answer the question for a job interview or not… I encourage you too to think about who in your life you’re modeling your life after. The answers are important.
