Personally, I think the importance of role models is not emphasized enough. Young people need to know the importance of having a role model. Not just a well-known person or a billionaire, but someone that can positively impact their lives. Lots of people look up to celebrities and consider them their role models. They want to speak, laugh, do things, and buy things just like their role models.
Growing up, I remember how my teachers used to ask us in class who our role model was and why we wanted to be like them. Most of us would mention musicians, and rich and famous people, but we really didn’t know the importance of having them as our role models.
Nowadays, most people, especially kids, look up to celebrities. They really love and admire them. They follow every little thing they do. That is why it is very important for famous people to showcase good characters because a lot of people look up to them.
I remember when I was still in high school. I was the chapel prefect. It was my duty to always conduct assemblies and check students' uniforms on the assembly ground. One Monday morning, while I was conducting the assembly, I sighted 3 Jss2 (Junior Secondary School/ Basic 7) students that weren’t wearing belts (which was part of the school dressing code) and they sagged their trousers. I walked up to them and asked them why they dressed like that at the assembly ground. Their reply was very surprising. I was thinking they’d say they forgot their belts at home, but instead, they said “Naira Marley, no belt gang”.
Naira Marley is a Nigerian musician. He is famously known for his slogan “marlian, no belt gang”. Those students were not even up to 12 years old and they were already imitating their “role model”. People, especially kids are easily influenced by celebrities, which is one of the main reasons they should be mindful of the lifestyle they display in public.
Why is it important to have a role model?
Motivate you
One of the importance of having a role model is that they motivate. You must’ve read and known a lot about your role model. Their past and the things they do can motivate you to be a greater person. Reading their history and knowing what they’ve been through alone can motivate you to work harder.
Guide you
When you take someone as your role model. You want to behave exactly like them. This is why it is very important to take a good and cultured person as a role model because they’ll guide you and sharpen you to become a better person.
They inspire you to achieve your goals
One of the importance of having role models is that they inspire you to achieve your goals. Everyone has different goals, and we are all striving hard to achieve our dreams. Having a role model makes it easier to stay on track and remain focused.
Learn a a lot from them
Having a role model is important because you follow in their footsteps and learn a lot from what they do. For example, if your role model is a make-up artist, you learn from them when you watch their videos and follow everything they do.
Do I have a role model?
Yes. I have a role model and he is one of my main motivations. I've been trying hard to follow in his footsteps ever since I was in elementary school. At first, I liked him because of what he does (his profession, but when I grew up, I read his story and liked and admired everything about him. Ever since I read his story, I’ve been trying as much as possible to have a good heart like him.
Who is my role model?
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Cristiano Ronaldo, famously known as CR7. He is a Portuguese footballer that plays number 7 for the premier league club; Manchester United. Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Portugal to a poor family who struggled hard just to put food on their table. They even begged for food and did menial jobs like sweeping the streets. Despite growing up in a poor background, Ronaldo struggled hard to become a successful person, and today he is regarded as one of the best footballers in history. He has achieved so many trophies and broken world records. Today, Ronaldo is the highest goal scorer in history (both for club and country). One of the main reasons why I like and admire him is because he is a nice man.
What are the factors I considered before taking Ronaldo as my role model?
As I said earlier, role models (celebrities) have the ability to influence people’s lives, which is the main reason why you should carefully consider people before taking them as your role model.
His story is inspiring
I can’t remember the first time I read Cristiano Ronaldo’s biography. But I know I read it when I was a kid (probably when I was 10 years old). And I’m sure his story also inspires millions of people out there. He was born in a local city in Portugal. His dad was an alcoholic (who later died), but despite all this, he worked really hard and didn’t give up on his dream to become a footballer.
He has a good heart
Just like my mom, Cristiano Ronaldo has a good heart. Have you ever wondered why Ronaldo doesn’t have a tattoo on his body? Almost all footballers have tattoos on their bodies, but Ronaldo chooses not to ink his body because he is a regular blood donor.
Not only is he a regular blood donor, but also a cheerful giver. He has sold many of his trophies just to take care of the needy. Ronaldo has on many occasions given out his shirt (worth a lot of money) to people, not only his fans but also fan of rival teams.
He is determined and hardworking
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Cristiano Ronaldo is the true definition of determination and hard work. Many of his teammates have said this about him. Ronaldo is always the first to get to football training and the last to leave. Despite criticisms from people (even his fans criticize him when he doesn’t play well), he doesn’t give up, he stays strong and works harder until he finally proves his haters wrong.
He is a good leader
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Cristiano Ronaldo captains the Portuguese team and he does it very well. He encourages them to play well and them to be a better footballer.
His records are amazing
Taking a successful person; someone who has achieved a lot despite failures, as a role model is a very good idea which is one of the factors I considered before taking Ronaldo as my role model.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a very good role model, he positively impacts my life and the above reasons are why I want to be like him. He is my role model and a hero to millions of people.
Thanks for reading.