Be Your Own Role Model

In 2016, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan conducted a collaborative study on 180 children aged four to six years old. The study aimed to gain an understanding of what influences perseverance among this group. 

The kids were given what the researchers told them was an essential task to complete, one that they needed to work hard at to be “good helpers.” This task also happened to be incredibly dull: press one button if they saw cheese on the screen, and don’t press anything if they saw a cat. The researchers also left an iPad on the table with some fun games loaded onto it in case the kids needed a quick break.

Before leaving the room, the researchers gave each child some coaching on how to persevere. They told one-third of the kids to think about their thoughts and feelings and ask, “Am I working hard?” The second third was given the same instructions, but instead of saying “I”, they were told to use their name, such as, “Jill is working hard!” The final group was told to refer to themselves as someone else they looked up to, for example, “Is Batman working hard?” With the instructions clear, the kids were left alone for ten minutes to work, get distracted, or do whatever they pleased. 

The six-year-olds who thought in the first person, using “I” to reflect on their work, stayed on task only about 35 percent of the time, choosing the iPad for the majority of their ten minutes. The kids who referred to themselves by their name fared a little better, spending around 45 percent of their time on task. But it was the final group which focused on Bob the Builder, Batman, or Dora the Explorer as the example of someone who worked hard, that was able to stay on task nearly 60 percent of the time. The more the child was distanced from his inner self, the longer he or she persisted.

This relates to a strategy I have often used, the mindset of “Be your own role model”. What do I mean by this? I think about the goals that I want to achieve and the type of person that achieves those goals. Then, I simply do the same things I think that person might do. 

The study above teaches us that when we associate the choices we make with an identity, we are much better at staying true to the habits that are congruent with our goal.

It’s easy to make the easy choice. But when that easy choice has a consequence of how we view our own identity, we can see the impact and outcome more clearly.

So the next time you’re faced with a difficult decision, ask yourself, “what would Batman do in this situation?” or “How would I behave as the person I aspire to be?”

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