Overcoming Limits and Finding a Role Model
Posted by Moses on Nov 17, 2008
I know it’s been a little while since I’ve written. I’ve been spending a lot of my time dealing with regular family stuff and re-evaluating my life. I like to take a little time out every year, usually around my birthday to assess where I am in life. Watching Barack Obama become the first African-American President of the United States seemed as good a time as any for a young, ambitious African-American male to review his life.
Before I get too far ahead of myself, I need to spend a little time describing the evolution of my reaction to the election of Obama. At first it was no different than many other Americans. I was speechless. As I stated in my earlier post, I didn’t think it was possible for Americans to elect a black president in my lifetime. Later, I found that it had changed. His election forced me to rethink many of my assumptions about race, self-imposed limitations and freedom. I began subconsciously to compare myself to President-elect Obama, specifically his ability to transcend race and his apparent and deep understanding and acceptance of himself. I doubt that I’ve seen someone so comfortable in their own skin as he is.
As has been my habit in the past, I got a little down on myself. I know it seems unreasonable, but like many people who grew up in a family where being perfect was the accepted norm and anything else was considered failure, I at times have difficulty cutting myself a little slack. As much as I admired and respect President-elect Obama, his achievements would seem to make whatever I did pale in comparison. I know it seems ridiculous, but I couldn’t help but compare myself to the man and feel as though I had come up short.
In many ways, I was repeating my pattern of limiting myself. Instead of being inspired by President-elect Obama, I was setting his accomplishments (fully acknowledging their historic nature) as the limits of what could be achieved.
It took me a little while to realize that rather than comparing myself to President-elect Obama, I should consider him as role model. Someone to both admire and learn from. This is something new for me. I grew up with few role models.
And, in the case of Obama there is much to admire. He has many admirable qualities that are worth emulating:
1. His sense of mission to help others
2. His sense of hope for the future
3. His cool demeanor especially in the face of crisis
4. His desire to leverage the best of everyone
5. His ability to inspire others
6. His nearly complete understanding of himself
It’s in many ways liberating to have a role model who will blaze a path that you can follow and hopefully surpass. Whatever road that I choose to follow, I will be immeasurably better off because of President-elect Obama’s historic victory. I am slowly learning that the only limits that exist are those that we put on ourselves.
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I also set limits to myself sometimes, thinking that I can’t do a certain thing. Then later on, I will regret that I didn’t even try. I agree with you that it would help us to surpass our limits if we have a role model that we can look up to, and tell ourselves that we can also achieve what that person accomplished.