Role models should be mirrors of your own uniqueness.

Since 2020 I’ve written a plethora of journal entries that if I stacked them they would reach the height of a coffee table. Though all brain dumps and contemplations, as I started to read them back which made me really see that life-themes tend to loop. The challenges you may be facing right now may likely be something you were visiting last year, or two years ago. Life moves in cycles like that.

I’ve decided to go back to different journal entries at random— but maybe more systematically later—and will be writing present day responses and reflections to those entries. So here’s the first one from 2022. It’s about role models.

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March 22 2022

I can feel it. It’s the time when we sit on the cusp of change.

I’m thinking about “The idols”. People in my life I see as mentors or role models. Asking myself: why are they your idols? What do you admire about them and their past experiences, present life, and future plans? What parts of them make you think, “Damn that’s awesome. Good for you. I want to get there too”.

The thing is, I feel like I don’t have a role model that I admire holistically. I feel like I have people I look up to in fragments of their lives and being. In my mind I’m listing out the people who come to mind— all people I see as role models in some areas of their lives, and very much so not others.

But that’s OK right? I feel like it’s working just fine.

People don’t need to check all your boxes. People don’t have to serve all your needs. Just maybe sometimes I feel like my connections in life lack that well rounded sense of support.

March 29 2026

Four years later and I still find myself contemplating a similar thing. Do I need a mentor? Would having one devoted guide to my growth be something very valuable to be right now? Like the concept of gurus in India? Would that triple my progress in ways that I could really use?

Probably.

The thing to be wary of with mentors is projection. In this state of desperation—or simply being young an impressionable and seeking guidance—it might be tempting to drink up every word they say like it’s the ultimate blueprint to achieving your dream.

They might paint onto you their own biases, jaded ways of seeing the industry, their own methods stuck in stone—like a relic of an industry past. No longer relevant yet they insist you need to follow as if it was gospel.

Maybe they take you under their wing because they do see something in you. A spark, intelligence, drive—value. They see you as a team mate they can acquire for their own motives, and not completely in a bad way. They have their own quest and you are to be one of their avengers.

The thing is, maybe you’re not even meant to be in the same comic book. Maybe you’re in the same comic universe and only meant to team up during certain missions in your life time.

I think I’ve made peace with this idea that it’s not about finding that one lifetime-forever-guru, but rather about trusting myself to be my ultimate guide, as well as knowing I have different people who are in my corner.

Whether it’s supporters of your work, inspirational figures, friends, fellow creatives—it’s about having diverse “idols” and role models, as well as the dicernment to only take with you the characteristics that most align with your own journey.

You are a multi dimensional being. One person’s path is not meant to be exactly like yours, nor are you meant to replicate the path of another.

I used to always ask these role models to tell me about their own journey. As they recapitualted their career path, I would try to take notes. Writing down what kind of experiences to look for, the portfolio to build. Eventually it occured to me that most of their stories went like this: there was chance encounter after chance encounter. Then there was hard work met with more chance encounters. They were in the right place at the right time which led to more connections and pathways leading them to where they are now. Moral of the story: you can’t plan that shit.

Though there’s no one blueprint, the common thing they all had was they gave it their all. Though they were driven by different things—money, acknowledgment, passion—they worked their asses off and got real good at what they did.

Drive gets you where you want to get.

So why do you want what they have? Whether it’s creating a TV show, travelling the world, bringing different projects to life, becoming internationally acclaimed for your work. What is it that drives YOU to even want those things?

Honestly, the answer can be as simple as: becase that looks like a dope ass life.

The most important thing to remember is this: You are creating your own puzzle that is your life path. The pieces are yours as well as the unique dimensions of it. Your role models are like your puzzle pieces. They should shine light and amplify your uniqueness. Their words, art, actions, questions for you should hold a mirror to your strengths and blindspots, not act as a projection of their own onto you.

So keep your eyes, heart, and mind open.

Stay in your center.

Stay inspired.

Keep flowing.