Be a ROLE MODEL, not a model!

I read an interesting article the other day that stated that 25% of all children want to be a model when they grow-up. 25%! That’s astounding as the job requirement has nothing to do with who you are as a person or your abilities – it’s 95% generic lottery and 5% luck. I find this sad.

Obviously, I’ve never geared my life towards wanting to be a model, my focus has always been to be the best at what I do. I’m fiercely competitive, if person A can do something, why can’t I? I’ve developed systems that allow me to be as productive as I can for the times that I do work and as such, achieved many of the goals I set for myself except for a few that are always over the horizon for some reason.

I knew nothing about design, nothing about machinery and nothing about business when I first started my company in 1996 but a few months later, I was selling 3D industrial animations to industrial companies around the world… before anybody knew what 3D was! What I realized back then is that many of the people around me who were successful in business were a failure in the most important department in life – their health. If you don’t have your health, you have NOTHING! So one thing I’ve been focused on since I was a kid was working-out… not running laps but with weights… lots of weights, heavy weights! I don’t look big but I think I’m pretty strong for my size.

The problem with my line of work is that I spend way too much time sitting down, sitting down is among the most unhealthy things you can do for extended periods of time and something that’s on my mind more than it should. I’ve read that sitting down for years at a time like most technical jobs require is equivalent to smoking – time will tell if that’s true but one of the best ways to counter-act this is to eat VERY HEALTHY (no junk food!) and the other is to exercise. Weight lifting and bodybuilding is among the best activities you can do for both your cardiovascular and motor-neural pathways… you don’t just look great and have lots of energy but you also become smarter. The better your blood circulation, the better your mood, the faster you can deal with daily activities and use knowledge to its best. Without a healthy body, you can’t have a healthy mind.

I have an interesting house, the living room is actually the gym room! This is the most productive and important room in my entire house… not having a TV has its advantages!

I’m not the best guy at anything, I’m not the smartest, healthiest nor the most successful but what I lack in ability I make-up for in perseverance. I just don’t give-up on things that I have a deep passion to succeed in.

I think kids growing-up these days should focus on building their passions and becoming their own role model – being the best person they can be given their circumstances – not a model where your chances of success are lower than getting stuck by lighting. You can sing, you can dance… so what, so can half the population… all you do is feed into the cycle of making other people rich off your talents. Develop yourself and I guarantee you, you will never have to search for a job, you will never have to deal with being treated as a second class citizen and you will never have anybody to answer for but yourself.