“Tell who
your heroes are and I’ll tell you what kind of person you’ll become,” said a
wise man. As a typical boy my heroes were athletes, musicians, TV and movie
stars, and celebrities (some famous just for being famous without any honorable
talent).
Everything changed for me when I changed my hero to my uncle. I admired him as a husband, a father and a successful business executive. I didn’t have a male role model in my life so I looked outside my immediate family. It’s easy to do because your hero doesn’t have to be in your everyday life. You don’t need their approval or acceptance. They don’t even have to be living. Just someone you admire and want to be like.
Besides carefully selecting your hero (and possibly changing whom you admire), the other tip to change your life and live the life you dream and desire is very simple. Take out a plain sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle to create two columns. In the left column write down all of the character traits that you admire in others; maybe it’s kindness, punctuality, honesty, or humor. Then on the right side write down all of the character traits that you don’t admire in others, like dishonesty, taking credit for someone else’s work, conceit, or greed.
The amazing thing about character is it is not something that you are born with and has nothing to do with your family background, your family’s economic standing, intelligence, looks, or level of education. It has everything to do with your inner moral compass guiding your daily decisions. Character is a choice. If you’re young enough, take the time to write down your two lists, and concentrate on them every day. You can transform your life to be whatever person you dream to be.
Robert P. Miles - Warren Buffett Scholar and Berkshire Hathaway Authority, keynote speaker and author
Image credit: Michael O'Brian
