Who can be a role model?
(5 minute read with links, 45 minute podcast link)
I’m smiling as I’m writing the subject of today’s blog. I hope you know, to my readers, it’s you, YOU can be a role model.
So what is a role model and why do we need them? I used to look up to the role models in my life and think one day I’ll have done enough, be enough, to be like them. Well guess what, I realised that one day needs to be now, it could have been then. There is no question that at any point in your life (even as a child, however I think being a role model takes maturity), people are looking up to you. So here are my suggestions for taking on that responsibility in the most effective way;
Recognise that whatever you do in life, a SAHM, a worker, someone will be observing and looking up to you.
Share your vulnerability, don’t put a glossy veneer of everything. The lack of this humble quality I believe is contributing to our mental health epidemic, something that we discuss extensively in The Career Mum , my group with now almost 2700 Global Members.
Do not underplay your achievements, be proud, share them and be willing to tell your story of how you got there. Even if you’re not ‘at the top’ it will be useful to others.
On the subject of telling your story, be open to opportunities to do this. Thank you to Laura Izard for interviewing me for her latest Podcast for Come Back Girl - it took place a few months ago and even I enjoyed listening to it recently!
I also shared my story with Asha Pillai, The inspiration for her blog Lives Less Ordinary coming from meeting so many interesting people with interesting stories and with her creative partner, Krish, she wanted to provide a platform for them to share their experience.
Role Model: Noun: A person looked to by others as an example to be imitated.
I’m particularly keen for women to step up as role models. People need to find relatable role models. In my field of IT, that wasn’t always easy. So the people that I came across that I felt an affinity to became even more important to me. Thank you to those role models, who have inspired me along the way. Women I think are less likely to say I’m good enough to be a role model. The time is now.
I hope I have inspired you to take action. I look forward to hearing about your next steps as a result. Come and tell me. If someone is a role model for you, thank them and tell them, they might not know!
Thanks for reading.
Amanda@thecareermum.co.uk