Friday, May 30, 2008

How To-2: "How to Choose a Role Model"


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Role models are important. They help us become the person we want to be and inspire us to make a difference. Choosing wisely means that you are influenced correctly and will help you be the best person you can be.

Steps


  1. Choose someone who has a lot of confidence in themselves and their abilities. A good role model would be someone who knows who they are. You don't want someone who is down and who will bring you down. You want someone who won't pretend to be someone they are not, and won't be fake just to suit other people.
  2. Consider someone who thinks it is alright to be unique; even if that means accepting some ridicule. They should make you feel good about being yourself, they shouldn't make you compare yourself to them and wish you were pretty.
  3. Think about someone who interacts well with others', and someone who is kind and can communicate well with people.
  4. Look for someone who is living life the way you would like to. If you want to be a famous author, your role model could be someone who has been successful at writing. If you have always wanted to be a nurse, your role model could be someone at your local hospital who is dedicated to their job and someone who you look up to for their achievements.
  5. Find someone who doesn't always take credit for what they do. Like a teacher or nurse. Not a celebrity or athlete because most of them tend to be conceited.
  6. Choose a role model who may have done something you find admirable, such as raised a lot of money for charity, saved lots of lives, helped people in need or discovered the cure for a disease.


Tips


  • Keep in mind that having a role model does not mean you become exactly like that person, remember to retain your individuality.
  • A role model should be someone who you want to be like, and someone you admire.
  • You shouldn't change yourself to be like your role model; be like them, but put your own individuality into the things they do.
  • "Believe in yourself, fulfil your potential, be your own Role Model". [1]
  • Your role model doesn't have to be a real person, or someone who is alive. Maybe you consider Anne Frank to be your role model, or a character from a book. That's okay, but bear in mind that instead of being able to directly ask your role model for help, then you'll have to think, "What would he/she do in my position?"


Warnings


  • Some poorly chosen role models may take advantage of their position.
  • they also can direct you to a wrong place where you dont want to be.


Related wikiHows





Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Choose a Role Model. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-1: "How to Follow Gandhi's Principles"


http://www.wikihow.com/

How to Follow Gandhi's Principles
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." Mahatma Gandhi from India.

Steps

  1. To understand what the principles are. There are 6 principles that Gandhi followed:
    • Truth: learning from your own mistakes and conducting experiments on yourself
    • Nonviolence: nonresistance connected in a way to religion
    • Vegetarianism: carved in the Hindu and Jain traditions in India
    • Brahmacharya: spiritual and practical purity
    • Simplicity: giving up unnecessary spending
    • Faith: belief in a Higher power and that all religions are equal

  2. Understand what is different of where and when Mahatma Gandhi lived and where and when you live
    • He lived in India during the '30s and '40s when he was following these principles.
    • We live in a society and amongst a generation that has a lot more technology, is more materialistic and we are not fighting for the same reasons (we have 'freedom'(opportunities to do what we want to do))
  3. Manipulate the principles to not lose the meaning behind them but be able to apply them without feeling restricted. Here is an example:
    • Truth: fight your own inner demons, fear and insecurities. Everyone is unique in this world and therefore, one should not compare with others. Be honest with yourself of who you are and what you want. If you think there is something to fix, then fix it.
    • Nonviolence: control your temper and also your thoughts. What we think, we become and therefore if you always are thinking of hurting someone or feeling extremely angry at someone, those are the vibes you'll be giving to others. Best way to be nonviolent is to think positive and believe that whatever happens, it is for a good reason.
    • Vegetarianism: not everyone can resist meat, but you can control your consumption. For health reasons, avoiding eating a lot of red meat is a good idea.
    • Brahmacharya: many of us want to get married and have children or be intimate with someone. Therefore, becoming a brahmacharya might not be possible. However, you could reduce thinking of the opposite sex as an object. You could also wait to be intimate with someone till after marriage.
    • Simplicity: life in the western countries tends to be quite fast. Do you need the latest fashion clothing or can you wear the clothes you already have? Do you need 50-100 pairs of shoes? Do you need the latest gadgets? Do you need a brand new BMW? Simplicity doesn't mean foregoing all your desires, but not buying something right away or something you don't really need. Simplicity also means being happy with what you are given and have.
    • Faith: believing that there is someone or something higher than you. You don't need to believe in God, but believing that everyone is equal and you are no less or more than someone else. It is knowing your values, ethics and morals. Faith is not following others blindly especially when someone else is doing something that your heart says is not right.

Tips

  • Understand what you want out of life and know who you are; in this way you will be following these principles.
  • Not all 6 principles need to be followed exactly the same way because your desires and wants also matter.
  • See how these principles can fit in your lifestyle and make modifications to your lifestyle where you see it requires
  • You can also modify the principles without losing the meaning behind what Gandhi was trying to teach.
  • Have patience because it is easy to learn a bad habit, but hard to let go of one.
  • Watch film 'GANDHI' (English film) on Mahatma Gandhi and 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai' (Hindi film)
  • Read books on Mahatma Gandhi.

Warnings

  • If you have decided to change a part of your life, you will need to be patient because there are days when you might fail and then you will need courage to start again.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Follow Gandhi's Principles. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.