Who do I look up to? Part 2

In the first post, we discovered who we admire, listed the qualities about that person we find attractive or inspirational and then WHY those things matter to us. We also posed the question that sometimes the things we admire the most in others are also qualities we see in some way in ourselves.

So, what do we do with this information?

Let’s take a look at how the people/person you admire got to be who they are today. The unified fact her is that none of these people just had their successes and dreams handed to them, they had to live through challenges, doubts, days of exhaustion and lack of others giving support to them or worse, telling them “It’s not going to happen.” Things we all go through every day, they too had to forge through just like any human looking to survive this thing called life do. Just because they are famous or wildly successful now doesn't mean they got there because their lives had exemptions from all the emotions and challenges we all go through.

The difference between who we are now and how they got to be where they are is mindset. Knowing your goal and believing anything to get there is worth it and within reach given the right opportunity.

I love this quote by the pioneering automobile maker, Henry Ford:

““Whether you think you can or think you can't – you're right.”

Yes, we will have days, weeks, or months even, just like those we admire did and still do, that will seem to put our dreams far away and even make us feel like a fool for thinking of even trying. But look ladies, no one is a robot, no one is perfect, despite the illusion of social media. NOPE. So just like those you admire, give yourself the grace to accept a bad day, terrible experience, rejection, and disappointment. It is part of the journey and walking through these and pressing on is what will separate those who will be “might have beens” from those who moved forward with big brave hearts (that’s you!).

When I have a bad experience or day, I will think about the person I admire, and have a conversation with them about what is going on. I think of their personality and conjure up the way they carry themselves. Then I imagine what kind of reply they would have and end up talking out the situation. I usually end up doing this out loud. Hearing myself bitch and meltdown or whatever may be and then hearing me talk it through with my imagined person grounds my emotions and mind to more solid ground, and I feel more energy to turn this shit-show around.

You may try many variations of this though, you don’t have to talk to your own Imaginary Friend, so to speak. Other things to consider are reminding yourself of a time the person you admire went through tough situations. If they are a public figure or someone you have worked with or a family member, friend, you may have a very good idea of their life story or their daily experiences. Never forget that just like them, what happened today or where your situation is today, does not have to stay this way, your choice to not give up will pave the way.

Certainly, you may have some other ideas of how to have this person and their story become part of your “first aid” to keep your dream alive and healthy. These few ideas will hopefully help you find something that is workable for you!

To summarize, what we are doing is really identifying someone as a mentor type person. The foundation of this relationship is we both are real folks who face the same real-life challenges, have the same emotions, same physical and emotional ups and downs. Via self-talk they can “coach” us through those low times. Remind us that they walked through so much, but kept walking, and we can too.

The next post will discuss building a real (yes, real) team to power your journey, and also help them power theirs.