The world runs on role models. This is a truth we've seen play out time and again across different domains. In sports, once a record is broken, it's often shattered multiple times in quick succession. Take the milestones in a 100-meter sprint - the 10-second barrier and the 9.5-second barrier, for example. The same pattern repeats itself in competitive exams, professional achievements, world records, and more. Sometimes, just knowing something is possible unleashes a new level of motivation in the human mind.
Also, think about communities that dominate particular professions. While inherited knowledge and resources play a role, there's something more fundamental at work: the power of visible examples. Consider how many kids pursue the same careers as their parents or close relatives, not because they're forced to, but because they genuinely want to. Could we fall in love with a certain type of work simply by seeing others do it with passion? Imagine how many more of us could achieve more in life if we were better connected with others like us who have done it before.
For every trailblazer who achieved the "impossible" because they didn't know any better, there are thousands more who succeeded precisely because they saw someone else do it first. And it's a whole lot easier when that someone resembles them in more ways than one. And it's not like the trailblazers didn't require inspirational role models in their early days, before they became groundbreakers.
You can read the full essay I wrote on Relfeed's blog. It is written in the context of college students in the developing world.
