Where I stretch the definition of "role model"

It's been hard for me to think of role models, since they've changed so much over the years, and even just a year ago I probably would have had different answers.

I'm going to second Sarah and say that Felicia Day is one of my role models, though for different reasons (as seen in my comment on that post). I really like that she is unabashedly herself - even when that means geeky and occasionally awkward. She's willing to go out on a limb and try something new (she made a web series about the world of MMORPGs called The Guild, and if you're familiar with that niche, you really ought to check it out) and work hard on it even if there's no guarantee that it'll work out.

On a similar note, my role model for professional life has been a teacher/employer of mine from college. She was one of the few female professors in the physical sciences, and was very articulate, understanding, and thoughtful. She could always come up to a well-reasoned explanation no matter what question we came up with ("when you look into someone's eyes and see your reflection, why is it smaller?") and gently helped our class along to find answers ourselves instead of just handing them to us.

And yes, of course, John and Hank are my role models as well. I love how they're able to be goofy and silly some times, and philosophical and thoughtful at others without it seeming strange. I'm inspired by their passion to make the world a better place, even just a little bit at a time, and do what they love even if it's off the beaten path.

Finally, and this is probably a little weird, one of my role models is the internet. Not all of it, of course - 4chan doesn't particularly inspire greatness in me - but some of the aspects of the internet at large such as creativity, independence, and critical thinking. There's no single site or blog that covers all of these, and I draw inspiration from lots of different places, so I guess I'll just cite the internet as a whole.

I think I said role models too much

I spent a lot of last night lying in bed thinking about who my role models were, and it turned out to be more difficult than I had expected. There are so many people who I look up to and who influence the person I am. I eventually decided there was two main role models in my life.

The first is a person who has been in my life for pretty much my who life, my dad. I mean obviously our parents are the people who shape us most in life, even my mum is a great influence bu my dad has pretty much always been someone I've wanted to be like. He is hard working, most mornings he is away to work before I'm even up. But he is so enthusiastic about so much stuff, like his band and playing guitar and doing DIY and cooking and watching movies. He encourages me so much in everything I do. I want to be able to work as hard as he does and do all things in life that make me happy.

John and Hank Green are obviously major role models in my life and have been for a long time now. I definitely think that if I hadn't read John's books I wouldn't think the way I do about a lot of things, I have learnt a lot from them, good thinks that have helped me in the way I think about the world and the way I treat others. I think the internet in general has improve me as person but I don't really think I could get away with saying the internet is role model.

Models of Roles

One of my major role models is Maureen Johnson. She's very courageous in a way. She isn't afraid to be herself.   I wouldn't be surprised if her crazy antics have lost her some respect and/or opportunities in the literary world, but she does it anyway. And she talks about the issues she cares about and informs her fans about them and just generally seems like a really good person. I admire her a lot. In general, I admire people who are not afraid to be themselves.

Another one is Kristina Horner. She's always working on really interesting projects and she's clearly actively working towards her goals, unlike a lot of people (like me) who say they want to do things but don't actually do anything to make any progress toward accomplishing it. I admire that a lot and want to be more like her and make my goals happen instead of just sitting around waiting for them to happen to me.

I also really admire my best friend Jessie a lot. She is an incredibly driven and motivated person and she works really hard all the time, and I respect that. She also has a strong moral compass and is never afraid to stand up for what she believes in, which is something I need to work on a bit.