20 Mar 2023 · 7 min
Thomas Anglero argues that you're already a role model whether you try or not. Small acts like smiling, checking on colleagues, and walking confidently influence people around you. He explores how this responsibility extends to social media and the importance of spreading positivity.
Welcome to the Soul of Innovation podcast. I am Thomas Anglero, and I want to talk to you about you being a role model. Do you know you're a role model all the time? That when you're not thinking about it, when you don't think anybody's watching you, people are watching you and they're thinking to themselves when they see you, how can I be like you? Why are you doing these things? And how can I mimic that? Let me tell you a story and you understand. This past week I was at work, I was in the office, stopped by a colleague's desk, asked him how his daughter's doing, 'cause she just went off to the military. And as a father, he told this fantastic story about how she was stationed in a location where it was a dream of hers, she's achieved her goal, she can't wait to spend the next months there. He was just beaming with pride and joy. You know, it's fantastic to see that energy. We talked for several minutes and it was just a wonderful moment to just, for him to share that with me. That night I got an email from him before he went to bed. He sent the biggest thank you to me and I was wondering why. And he said in the next paragraph, I come to work hoping to run into you every day. You're such a role model for me. And I thought to myself, wow, I just stopped by his desk and asked how he's doing and how his daughter's doing, and it made such a significant impact in his emotions in his life, in his thought process, in who he is. And then he said, "You are a role model for me." And I thought to myself in that moment, wow, how often do we take for granted that other people are one, watching us, and two, that we're always role models. You're always a role model. When you're walking down the street, when you're shopping at a Kia or a supermarket, when you're getting your car washed, when you're in the hospital, when you're playing some musical instrument, running on a track, dancing, swimming, or going for a walk, people are watching. People are looking at you and saying to you, saying, What is it about you? What aspect of you that I want to take and bring into me? You are a role model to everyone, not just the people you know, but also to strangers. Think about it. Look on social media today. Look on social media. Social media is based on all these influencers. Influencers, no matter what they do, young people especially change their behavior, change their dress, change their financial status. They change their bodies to mimic these social media influencers. These social media people are models, role models to the young, to the old. They're shaping society for good or for bad. Everyone's a role model. Do you know the impact you have? So when you say to yourself, I'm depressed, I'm down, I don't feel motivated, do you understand that you actually are changing everything? You can change everything just by going out and doing something, going out and going for a walk. And when you go for a walk, you go for a walk powerfully, stand up strong, strong stature, feel good, and the people around you who see you will also feel good. They also will say, "Ooh, yes, I should stand up straight. Yes, I should sit up straight." You want to change the world, be you all the time. But that really good person of you, that quality person of you, the person you, you, you envision yourself, that's who you are then. You are a role model. Babies are the best. Babies sitting in carriages, they're sucking their thumbs and they're watching the world. And they don't mind staring. They just stare and stare and stare. Why? Because they're like, you're my role model, you're my role model. That's the way you should walk down the street, laughing to yourself if you want to, that everyone's like a child, all looking at you as a role model. It's a heavyweight to carry, but your smile Your smile when you're just sitting on the bus, your smile when you're reading a book in the library, your smile when you're in your office, your smile when you're in the dentist's office, if you could smile, your smile when— wherever you are. That smile changes people because you're a role model. I think it's a wonderful thing to have so much responsibility that the smallest gestures we do, the moments that we feel great about ourselves, that we allow ourselves to show it outside, outwardly to other people, and it becomes infectious. And other people start feeling good about themselves. And then your superpower, your role model superpowers, starts changing the world. It does. Just by going to someone's desk and saying, how are you? How's your daughter? I changed someone's life and made them feel really good. Why don't you just go stop by somebody's desk tomorrow and ask them how are they doing? How's their kids doing? How's their dog doing? And fulfill your destiny of being the most amazing role model there's ever been. Go forth and spread beauty and light to everyone. You could do it with massive amounts of energy, or you could do it in the most subtle, quiet way. You know. But both ways changes the world. Because you are a role model. I'm Thomas Anglero. Until next time.
