I was Reading a Book recently about Coaching Psychology.

In it, there was a chapter that was talking about Client's Self-Efficacy, or their Ability to Believe that they have Control over the Direction of their Lives.

As I was reading through, there was something that struck me as Interesting.

It talked about the Importance of Role Models.

Specifically in the Context of Self-Efficacy.

What the chapter dove into was the Idea that when we "See" that Others can "Do" Something, it makes it Easier for "Us" to Also Do that Something.

Indeed, there is Absolutely Truth in this.

People often talk about "The Four Minute Mile" as an Example.

What happened here?

There was a Man named Roger Bannister.

When he was a Runner, there was a Belief in the Running Community.

Scientists Agreed...

A Human Running Under a 4 Minute Mile was "Impossible".

Some believed that parts of the Body would Burst.

Others said that, simply, the Human Body Would Prevent Itself from going Beyond that Capacity.

Since No One had Done It, it was held as True.

Until...

Roger Bannister Did It.

He was the First Person to Run a Sub-Four Minute Mile.

Now, that Appeared to be a Miraculous Feat to Many People.

But this is where the Story gets Interesting...

What Happened After Roger Bannister Accomplished this?

Within Months...

"More" people were "Also" Accomplishing It.

Even High Schoolers were Doing what had been Deemed "Impossible".

Some of these people also did it "Faster" than Roger Bannister!

Why?

Everyone had a New Role Model.

Roger Bannister "Proved" It Could be Done.

If "He" Could Do It...

Why Couldn't They?

So they Did.

In many ways, Having a Role Model can be Very Powerful.

But be Wary.

There "Are" Dangers to Having Role Models.

The Classic One is when we Watch a "Role Model" Crash and Burn.

They had some secret aspect to their Life that, when revealed, made Everyone Lose Trust and Respect for them.

However, there is Another One that is "Far" More Subtle.

One which happens even with Good Role Models.

One which I realized when I was thinking about Who were "My" Role Models.

One which, if you are Unaware of, can Prevent You from Success.

One which I have Seen Frequently in Life.

What is this Danger?

Putting that Role Model on a Pedestal Higher than Yourself.

How does this Play Out?

Well, when we put Any Human Above Ourselves...

We are actually Creating a Power Dynamic.

One where "We" are "Less Than" the Other Person.

Subconsciously, we are Lowering Our Self-Worth.

Now, what makes this More Dangerous is that it "Is" Usually Subconscious.

We are Unaware that we are "Doing" it to Ourselves.

Subtly, We Limit Ourselves.

We Limit Our Potential.

We Limit Our Growth.

All because we have Subconsciously "Put" Ourselves Below the Other Person.

I have seen this Occur in So Many Areas of Life.

I have seen people Lower themselves Based on their Parents...

Based on their Bosses.

Based on their Politicians.

Based on their Religious Leaders.

Based on their Teachers.

I have seen Hundreds of Thousands of People Continuously Lower and Limit themselves in the world of Self-Development and Leadership Development.

I have Watched Good-Hearted Leaders also Unintentionally Limit their "Followers" through these Same Mechanisms.

Always Catering to their Followers, while Simultaneously Disempowering Them.

This is something I Realized when I was thinking about who I considered a "Role Model".

I Do Not Have Any.

Now, there are "Many" People who I Deeply Respect.

People I Learn from.

People I Trust.

People who have Accomplished things that I hope to Accomplish someday.

At the Same Time, I Refuse to Allow My Growth to be Stopped.

I Look at these Same Individuals and Often Disagree with them.

I See How they Approach Life, and Purposefully Choose a Different Path.

It is Not even because They are Wrong Necessarily.

Rather, I See them as Humans, Equally Worthy as Myself, and also on Different Paths than Myself.

I would Consider them Peers More than Role Models.

Plus, there is another thing to Consider Here...

If you want to Reach the Highest Levels of Success...

You Must Do Things that have Never Been Done.

That is the Arena of Sageship.

Within that Arena, there are "No" Role Models.

No One has Done It.

When Roger Bannister Accomplished the Four-Minute Mile, he "Had" No Role Model.

He was just a Man who wanted to See How Fast He Could Go.

When you Truly want to be an Innovator and Create or Design something "Truly" New and Unheard Of?

You Must Learn to Have No Role Models on that Path.

You Must "Become" The Role Model to Everyone Else.

Are You Ready to Go Beyond Leadership?

Tired of Broken Algorithms and AI Slop?

Excited to Dive Deeper into Psychophysiological Mastery?

Want to Change The World?

The Seeking Sageship Newsletter is for You!

Click Here to Subscribe for Free!

The Danger Of Role Models

The Reason Why Even Good Role Models Can Become Problematic To Our Success

The all-in-one writing platform.

Write, publish everywhere, see what works, and become a better writer - all in one place.