Whether you are a teacher, a restaurant manager or a motivational speaker, you are a role model to your co-workers, staff and clients and your behaviors, attitudes and values set the standard for what you expect from others. If you want to be treated with respect, you have to model respectful behavior. If you want others to act exceptionally, you yourself have to display exceptional behavior.
As a mentor and role model, you serve as a confidant and objective advisor, someone others want to imitate, emulate and follow. A role model is someone others turn to as a source of inspiration. Keep in mind, a role model is not a role that is assigned to you by society once you have ‘made it’. You can be a role model for someone at any stage in your life, all it takes is the desire to positively influence other people and cultivate the openness to be influenced yourself.
We act as role models for many people all throughout our lives whether we realize it or not, so it is important to consciously choose to be a positive role model and be aware that our actions are being watched and imitated.
Here are our TOP 10 tips on how to become a positive role model and inspire others.
#1 Demonstrate Confidence
Being a positive role model means that you are always calm, positive and confident in yourself. Demonstrating confidence and strength draws admiration and while we don’t want to need others to validate or define us, for many people self-confidence is an elusive concept that is hard to achieve. If you exhibit great certainty in who you are and your position in the world, that is extremely attractive and appealing to others and in our modern world, confidence is one of the cornerstones of being a role model.
#2 Be Unique
Whatever your path may be and whatever choices you make in life, be proud of the person you’ve become, even if that means that you have to accept some sort of ridicule. Reality is, nobody wants a role model who pretends to be someone they are not or fake it just to suit other people. Embrace who you are and don’t be afraid of your uniqueness. Show the world the real you and be proud of it.
#3 Show Respect
Sure, as a role model you may be smart, successful and driven, but what speaks even more volume to the world is when you show respect and concern for others. Don’t get up on your high horse and take other people for granted, step on others to get to where you want to go or don’t show gratitude. Show respect to everybody you encounter, genuinely care about others and appreciate others for who they are.
#4 Have Humility
Nobody is perfect and when you make a mistake or bad decision, let those around you who are watching know that you know you made a mistake, that you plan on correcting it and that you can learn from the experience. Accept responsibility, correct the course and apologize. By having humility and a willingness to own your mistakes, you demonstrate an often overlooked aspect of being a positive role model and people will want to emulate you.
#5 Be Knowledgeable
Of course being a great role model means that we are ‘teaching’ others and helping them to grow as a person. However, role models themselves are lifelong learners, they challenge themselves constantly to step out of their comfort zone and they surround themselves with smarter people so they can grow. When your mentee sees that you are knowledgeable and can do many things, they will be inspired to learn and stretch themselves to be more successful and get ahead in life.
#6 Learn to Listen
People who have mastered the art of listening instead of constantly talking themselves appear naturally wiser. Being an active listener means that you become a person others turn to for advice because you demonstrate a desire to understand and exhibit self-control. Take a moment and think of a person you know who is a great listener. What is your impression of that person? How do you feel when someone really listens to you? You know it feels amazing, so give that awesome feeling to someone else if you want to be a positive role model.
#7 Be Available
Sure, sometimes it can be easier to isolate ourselves from the world, but that also prevents us from important interactions with the people around us. Be available to the people who seek to get in touch with you, have lunch with your co-workers rather than eating at your desk, help a friend move and make sure that the majority of your interactions are face-to-face rather than on the computer. Be available and be present and people will be drawn to you as a positive role model.
#8 Be Involved
Whether you volunteer, do charitable work, teach a class or join a social network, all those things offer an opportunity for you to get involved in something bigger. Choose to get involved in projects that have a personal connection for you and that allow you to use your abilities and gifts for the greater good and help those in need. You do something good for others, you do something good for yourself and you display the positive characteristics of an effective role model.
#9 Earn Trust
Trust isn’t something that you demand or that is given, it is something that is earned. Show the people around you that you can be trusted and treat everybody consistently with honesty and fairness. Stay away from gossip and don’t tolerate it around you. Show people that you have their backs and use every opportunity to prove it. Work on earning other people’s trust and you’ll become a positive role model that others want to imitate.
#10 Deal with Stress
Stress and anxiety can sneak up on anyone, but if you are a positive role model you relieve stress with meditation and exercise and show others how to deal with stress. And keep in mind, in order to be an effective and positive role model you have to be stress-free and in optimum health. Embrace stress relieving tools that promote optimum brain function and well-rounded health and well-being and those around you will pick up on those techniques and will be able to reduce their stress levels as well.
Role models aren’t just for children. Every single day people influence, inspire and guide us through their words, actions and achievements. Keep in mind, you don’t have to famous to be a role model. Role models live down the street, they work with us, they teach us, and they inspire us on an everyday basis. Make the conscious decision today to be a positive role model and display the characteristics that result in admiration by others.
INSPIRE OTHERS
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked
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