I love watching the Olympics-the incredible abilities of people, the years of hard work behind a single moment, the sacrifices no one sees. It's powerful.
Years ago, there was a commercial that stayed with me. A little girl, maybe three or four years old, is watching the Olympics, copying a gymnast as best she can in her living room. Her grandma is there, watching, encouraging her. She gives her a little ribbon so she can practice. The commercial follows this girl through gymnastics classes, long drives to competitions, setbacks and victories-always with grandma by her side. The final scene shows a young woman competing in the Olympics.
It made me cry every single time.
But it also made me think.
Whether we like it or not, we are all role models. Someone is watching us and learning how to live. The others are copying what they see our tone, our
reactions, our priorities.
Are we worth copying?
When I lose my cool, I give my staff permission to lose theirs. When a leader uses harsh language, young people learn that it's acceptable. When we cut corners at work, we teach others to do the same. When we get angry at another driver, the child in the backseat is paying attention—and will do the same one day when they don't get the toy they want in preschool.
When we don't value our time, young people learn that time is endless. When sports matter more than church, that lesson is passed on too. The list goes on. Children and honestly, adults-tend to follow the lead of the people they spend time with.
So the real question becomes:
What kind of role model am I? Who are you?
Do our lives reflect the people we hope others will become? Do our words bring life? Do our actions line up with what we say that we value?
There is ancient wisdom that speaks of the "seven generation principle" the idea that decisions should be made not just for today, not even just for our immediate community, but with the well-being of future generations in mind.
As we live our lives, let's model the future we want to see. Let's think about the kind of people we hope the next generations will be—and the legacy we are leaving behind. That may mean rethinking how we talk to and about others, how we invest our money, how we shape Merced, and what spaces we protect and
prioritize. It means making sure our schools, workplaces, and communities are sustainable, life-giving, and worthy of those who come after us.
We may not raise Olympians-but every one of us can be the role model who helps a child's dream come true.
I love watching the Olympics, the amazing abilities of people, the hard work they put in, and the sacrifices they have to make. Just powerful! Years ago, there was a commercial of a young girl (3 or 4 years old) watching the Olympics and copying the gymnast to the best of her ability. Grandma was watching and encouraged her, giving her a little ribbon to practice with, the rest of the commercial is us following this little girl going to gymnastic classes, traveling to competitions,
always Grandma at her side. The last frame is a young woman competing in the Olympics. It was a great commercial that made me cry every time I saw it. But that made me think of what we are all models, role models that the younger generation wants to copy. Are we worth copying? When I lose my cool, my staff follows me and has permission to lose their cool. When a leader uses bad language, we give youth permission to do so as well. When we cut corners at work, we model that everyone can do it. When you are in the car and you get mad at the driver... your child in the backseat will follow suit when they are in preschool and don't get the toy they want. When we don't value our time, our young people will think they have forever. When we think that sports is more important than church, we teach the next generation. The list goes on. Kids and often adults will follow the lead of the person they hang around.
So, what kind of role model am I? Who are you? Do our lives reflect the people we want the next generation to be? Do our words bring life? Do our actions
model what we want to see?
There is ancient wisdom that talks about the 'seven generation principle', that leaders are guided by the idea that when decisions are made, they must not only think about themselves or even their immediate community. They must consider the well-being of those who come after them.
As we live our lives, let's model what we want our future to look like, what kind of people we want the next generations to be, and what kind of legacy we want to leave behind. That might mean rethinking how we talk to people or about people,
how we invest our money, how we create Merced, and what places are important to the future generations. Let's ensure that our schools, our workplaces, our communities are set up in ways that are sustainable, life giving, and worthy for the next generation.
We might not create Olympians but we all can be the grandmas that help a child's dream come true.