My Secret Rooms...: Role models

I love to go all in, in most things but I take special pleasure in going all in in a role model, when I find one. It's a delight finding a role model, almost like an infatuation, and I immediately want to take in as much as I can from that person.
Ususally my role models vary over time, since my needs vary.

When I was a young, single mom with no education and a fragile self asteem (putting it mildly) Bill Cosby and his formidable "The Cosby Show" - and his books - meant the world to me!
In Bill Cosby I saw the kind of father I would have wanted my boy to have and the kind of parent I wanted to be. I saw that education was needed to be "all that", so I went for it and got myself into the university. It was neither easy nor problem free in any way but I did it.
I even wrote to Bill Cosby after and thanked him and I got a reply from him. Hand written! He really is the best.

It has been like that for me. I have sought out role models I've needed and allowed myself to be inspired and copy, even, what they do in order to reach what it is I aim for. In the same way I've asked successful people in my field of work to be mentors for me and then got to learn directly from them.
These days I don't find that need in my professional life, which means I've learned a lot and come a long way. That doesn't mean I won´t need one again, however.

Will Smith is another person who has inspired me tremendously over the years. Many years now! He's positive, strong, stubborn, fun, nice and successful. Of course he is successful, how could he not be with those characteristics?
He has also been a great role model for my first born son, who needed a male role model, growing up.
My son learned about humour, will power and social skills, I really think, from Will Smith and "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air". He would watch the show daily and he absolutely has manners in common with Will.
Of course I think it goes both ways: we find rolde models we need and we find role models we actually do have something in common with, people we recognise ourselves in. What we have lacked and yearned for as kids and as youth, we find in those role models.

I find I always search for great strong female role models, who know about life and have formed wisdom and smartness from experience and analyzing their journeys. I think Hillary Clinton is such a woman and Michelle Obama too.
Recently I've discovered Jada Pinkett Smith who is warm, smart, experienced and wise.
There it is: people I find inspiration in!

This is very indivual and very private, I think, and it says something of what we need, want, identify with and lack. I use my role models as general inspiration but also for specifik situations, when I think of something they said and it makes me go the extra mile.

Like when Will Smith said something like this in an interview:
-I´m not extra talented or an extra good actor or skilled more than anyone else. Where I excel is in ridiculous work ethic: when the other guys are sleeping, I'm working when the other guys are eating, I'm working, when the other guys are resting, I'm working. If you and I get on a treadmill together you'll either get off first or I'll die on that treadmill. It's that simple.

The treadmill line got me good! When I run my 10 km and there's a steep hill in the end of the lap I always say to myself "I'll die on the treadmill" and I know I won't give up.

And so... it's time to give back
For quite some time I've been thinking I ought to have a project together with my first born son. Partly because we live far apart and could use something where we create together but mostly because he has a lot of talents and I have a lot of energy and I think that together we could make a difference.
Now we've decided to roll with that - we'll do something together!
We'll look into ways of supporting young mothers and children facing the difficulties we did and we'll find ways to offer hope and guidance. It feels fantastic.
It's quite a journey: living, learning and passing it on.