I Can Predict Your Future

I had a mentor who loved to say, “People haven’t heard you until they quote you.” I heard Patch Adams loud and clear. He didn’t really give me an option. 

Patch Adams’ words were clear and relevant, brilliant and brutal. Tell me who your role models are and I’ll tell you what kind of person you’re becoming. That’s it.

Patch repeated versions of this phrase several times under the hot Costa Rican sun. Patch was there to serve. He was hitch-hiking from village to village, serving people with his infectious sense of humor. But this phrase wasn’t meant to be funny. He talked about famous athletes, musicians and influencers.

Who are the role models for your sports team? I’ll tell you where you’re headed. Who are the role models for your family? For your kids? For your company? For you as a leader, citizen, parent, friend?

Patch talked about so many versions of role models. Who does our education system hold up as role models? What about parents? And you? What happens when a culture has no role model or a bad or mediocre role model? I think we know.

Why are role models so powerful? Unconscious. We spend most of our lives living up to – or down to – unconscious standards. Want to change your culture? Want to change your life? Change your role models.

Is that a conscious process? Could be. Legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden had a list of “Invisible Mentors” – mentors he knew he’d never meet, but he gave them permission to profoundly influence his life. Wooden had about 50 books about Mother Teresa and another 50 about Lincoln. Two of his invisible mentors.

Another of John Wooden’s mentors was his father. When young Johnny graduated from the 8th grade, his father handed him a notecard and a two dollar bill. Johnny would read and re-read that notecard regularly throughout the rest of his life.

Assistant coaches and players would often see Coach Wooden take that worn out notecard out of his wallet and run his fingers across its words. Eventually, the words were no longer legible, but the message, the mentor’s imprint, was in Wooden’s incredible character.

Imagine being a father and knowing that your words will profoundly affect almost a century of your son’s life. More than that, the ripple effect will touch millions of lives!

When he handed that card to his son, Johnny’s father said, “Try to live up to these.” One of the 7 principles on that notecard pointed Johnny toward another invisible mentor – “Drink deeply from good books, especially the Good Book.”

Are you up for a game-changer? Get another role model over the next month. Let their life affect yours.

~ Patch Adams

Share your thoughts

Who has been an "invisible mentor" in your life, and how have they shaped you?