The Pedestal Problem

We all have people we look up to that influence our actions and behavior on a daily basis. We buy their books the second they hit store shelves. We regularly download their podcasts. We watch their YouTube videos as soon as they are uploaded. For me, those folks include Seth Godin, Ramit Sethi, Adam Carolla, and Tim Ferriss.

Speaking of Ferriss, we all know he regularly interviews people at the top of the industry, and one of those interviews with none other than Sophia Amoruso. For those of you unfamiliar with Amoruso, she is the founder and creative genius behind the clothing company Nasty Gal. She's also the author of the New York Times bestseller #GIRLBOSS. (An excellent read, by the way.)

One of the questions Ferriss posed to Amoruso was what Amoruso thinks about when she hears the word "successful". This was her response (taken from Ferriss' book Tools of Titans):

I just really want people to remember that they're capable of doing everything that the people they admire are doing. Maybe not everything, but - don't be so impressed. I guess that's where my head goes.... There's no reason that you can't have the things the people you admire have. 'Success' sells this kind of ultimate destination when - even though I've accomplished something - I told you I was crying last night. It's not like 'I'm done, I've arrived' or anything like that.

As somebody who has read her book, I can tell you that Amoruso is very transparent about her "humanness". She'll be the first to tell you that there is nothing overly special about her that propelled her to the levels of success she is now experiencing.

I think this is a super important lesson we need to keep in mind for ourselves. There's nothing wrong with looking up to people, but we also need to remember we are just as capable as them. When we put people up on a pedestal, we have the tendency to look at them as folks we could never emulate. Like they have some magical ability we could never achieve ourselves.

But why not?

Why can't we do what they do?

Of course, we need to be realistic, too. Where I'm more of a proponent of nurture's influence of nature's influence, we can't pretend that nature doesn't have an influence. We all can't be Michael Jordan or Adele. Sometimes, people are born with natural abilities that do set them above the rest. It's a fact of life.

Even though that is a reality, I think we let that be a scapegoat a little too often. It is more often that nature is the exception and nurture is the norm. In other words, don't let examples like Michael Jordan be your excuse. There is nothing inherently special about any of the folks listed in the first paragraph. They would probably tell you it is their hard work that sets them apart, not anything in particular that they were born with.

Strive to be your best. Strive to set yourselves apart. I hope you find that you can become like your heroes. That you can do things you never thought you were capable of. Like Sophia Amoruso says: don't be so impressed. You can indeed emulate the actions of your role models.