In 2016, I became a father to a nine-year-old boy. Like all parents, I initially felt unprepared to be a parent, especially since my nine-year-old didn’t come with nine years of preparation for raising him.
At first, I tried to find examples of who to follow and what I should do. But even asking
people who had 10-year-olds helped very little because they had all the prep time leading up to that age. I was in a unique situation with very few models to follow.
The next step was to look at books.
Books about rights of passage caught my attention. After reading a few of those books, I often found I was reflecting on my life. This reflection revealed that if I wanted to lead my son to become a man, I needed to be someone he could follow. I needed to be a role model.
So I went to work on myself. Over two years, habits began to develop, such as always pursuing growth, addressing health & fitness, and being intentional about my relationship with my wife and son.
After two years of working on myself, I identified a need for a model.
This time, however, that model was me. If I was going to grow and improve, I needed to be a role model for how to grow and add value to others. I had become what I had started out looking for. In other words, I became someone others should model in pursuing someone to be my model.
To be worthy of being followed...
By developing habits and adding value to people's lives, create a lifestyle that must continue to build habits and add value to people's lives. To be worthy of being followed, a model must maintain the example which sets them apart.
Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, “Life is about the journey, not the destination.” This quote is exceptionally accurate for someone who is a role model. It would be easy to point out all the flaws at this point in my journey, and I have plenty. I am also nowhere near the level of Ed Mylett and John C. Maxwell. Yet, I am on the journey. Those near me have someone to follow or push them.
The journey to become a role model started with the realization that I needed to be a model to my son. Who do you need to be a model to? Who is already following you? Are you being intentional about where you are heading and where you are leading others? When God asks, “Whom shall I send?” Will you respond, “Send me!”
Go, outlive your limits!
P.S. It would be my honor to serve as your coach. Please contact me to set up a discovery session!