Role Models .

As kids, many develop heroes in their lives. It could be a professional athlete, a family member, a teacher. But the coolest thing is when you end up meeting someone much later in life that you just really click with, see eye to eye on, and feel so comfortable opening up every aspect of your life to. I went on a medium length road ride with a good friend of mine, and I had forgotten how nice it was to have what my girlfriend and I would call a life talk with him. After living with him for the entirety of last year, we were never more than about 20 feet apart from each other and while we spent considerable amounts of time doing our own thing, always spent some time debating life.

Today, we touched on relationships, values and morals, the struggles of long distance (both in friendships and relationships), and even acknowledged the fact that it's going to be weird not seeing each other all the time in studio. Even now, we regularly wander over to each others' desks to see what's going on in each others' respective projects, despite being in different studio sections. Having known this friend since the very beginning of my Freshman year, we have had the opportunity for our friendship and grow over the years, from the complete unknown, to acquaintance, to some of the best friends in our repertoire.

But the thing I value most about this guy is how much of a role model he is for me. He has always included me in his life, inspired me in his dedication to his cycling career (he's a professional), never complained about having to ride slower when we ride together because I'm not a pro, and even given me rides to and from the airport (which is about 2 hours round trip, a pretty big deal). Upon telling him today I had pretty much decided where I was going for grad school, he answered without a moment's thought that we'd have to get together sometime so he could buy me a drink. Zero hesitation!

I think these types of people entire our lives for very specific reasons. It's because we are not acting to our full potential, and yet we can be. At a time in my life when I am about to move onto the next big step, it's important not only to remember who I am, but who I want to be, and how I want to introduce myself to others. And so it might behoove some of us to take a moment and write down all the qualities that we want to be -- and then honestly compare them with the ones that we actually are. Acknowledgement of our shortcomings can lead to leaps and bounds in our growth.

This idea actually reminds me of a book called Many Lives, Many Masters. It can be found in that New Era Religion section of B&N, but was recommended to me by a coworker years ago and it's one of my favorite books. The concept is that a spirit or soul goes through many levels of lives -- but that we not allowed to move on to the next life until we learn what we are supposed to in the current life. Each lesson is governed by a different master, who is there to help you and guide you along the way. I love this idea and though it does not align with my religious beliefs, it's still something neat to keep in mind.

At some point, we may change positions from being the imitator to the teacher. If you become the role model, remember that you actually have a responsibility to emulate those characteristics which will inspire and motivate. One of my goals is to be a role model for what I believe in and always stick to my guns, no matter what other people might think. What about you?