I was talking on WhatsApp with a beautiful lady, and one thing led to another, and she mentioned something about me being her role model. "I never thought I'd say this to you, but I've always looked up to you since I got your contact from a friend," she stated. As sweet as that sounded, I told her right away that I am not her role model and that she should not look up to me. It may have sounded harsh, but it is the truth.
How're you doing? I hope you're well. How is everything going on your end? I hope you exercised your political rights today. The best man candidate with the highest number of votes will win.
After we talked that day, it occurred to me that many of us subconsciously do the same thing she did to others, resulting in us placing them on a pedestal that they never asked us to. It could be due to how good they are at what they do, the fact that they are influencers, or your personal interest in them. However, if someone does not declare himself to be your mentor, you should not bestow that title on them.
I'm not saying having a role model is bad, but if you're not careful, you'll stop seeing them for who they are—a man. You'll begin deifying them and portraying them as something they're not. At the end of the day, when they do something that contradicts your mental image of them—something they didn't send you to do in the first place—you start complaining about how disappointed you are in them. However, they never told you to appoint them in the first place.
IMO, I believe that doing so is one of the ways that we as humans expect others to compensate for our shortcomings simply because we believe they are superior to us in some way. You are free to imagine whatever image you want of them; after all, it is your mind, but don't be disappointed if they don't live up to your expectations because they aren't required to.
They may not even believe in what you believe in to begin with. You may not share the same core values, and putting them on a pedestal is not the best thing to do. In essence, what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't expect too much from yourself.
A lot of kids are studying courses they don't want to studyy because their parent(s) instructed them to. Their parents have already formed an image of their children and placed them on a pedestal that they do not have to. Nobody is ecoected to compensate for things you wish you were. Don't expect too much from them. They, too, are human. Excessive expectations from others will only lead to disappointment.
Put that energy into something else and make life worthwhile for yourself. Make a mental image of yourself and place yourself on a pedestal. Perhaps by doing so, you will not disappoint yourself and will have nothing to be disappointed in (I guess that’s a good way of saying, if e easy, you sef run am).
Till when next I write to you,
Stay Strategic About Your View Of Life.