How Roles Models Inspire You to Become the Best

Author Oliver Goldsmith said “People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy.” The singular influence in the life of a person is another person who is worthy of emulation. Who is that role model in your life worthy of such emulation?

Have you ever had this role model galvanize you to take the right action in crucial moments? A growing body of evidence in psychology suggests that when people are exposed to the role models at the right time, they will subconsciously motivate them to take the right action. Psychologists Hitrenda Wadhwa, professor at Columbia Business School, talks about his story through which his hero Mahatma Gandhi influenced him to take the right action. Here’s the story:

Some time back, I was out with my wife and daughter for a night at the Metropolitan Opera. We were having such a marvelous evening infused with stirring arias, enveloped by the resplendent red carpets of the Met.  At the intermission, we sat down in the Met restaurant for dinner.  I was feeling so pleased with the idea that our daughter, at this tender age of seven, was getting to experience something as grand as this, imagining how she would grow up into someone with such refined sensibilities.

But then our appetizer arrived, and my daughter grabbed at the plate and attacked the food.  My wife and I looked at each other in utter shock.  She did not say grace! She did not offer the appetizer to her parents!  Here we were, investing every drop of our blood into raising her the right way, to sculpt the perfect angel.  And here she was, right in front of our eyes, turning into a little monster! … Continue Reading