I have a hero, a role model and her name is Helen Keller. I imagine that if I had ever had the opportunity to meet her, I would have told her how much of an inspiration she has been to the world. This is my favorite quote from her…
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” Helen Keller
Helen was blind and deaf and yet, she saw so much in this world of ours and was so wise. Sometimes, we can be metaphorically blind and deaf to so many things around us. We don’t see the good, the beautiful or even the fantastic…she did…she created castles in her mind and beautiful stories…
5 Special Attributes of Helen Keller
These are only a few that Helen expressed in her amazing life.
Inner Vision
She had a great imagination and what she could not see with her physical eyes, she saw in her minds’ eye.
Love for life, learning and curiosity
Creativity and story telling
Persistence and determination (overcoming obstacles)
Can you imagine how much determination and persistence it took for her to become so accomplished while being both deaf and blind? How many people are as successful as Helen Keller, without the physical limitations?
Taking responsibility for her own life…and she did…didn’t she?
The Importance of Great Role Models
When we can look at the life that special people like Helen Keller have lived, we have the opportunity to “model” their behaviors…
When I first decided that I wanted to create an amazing love relationship in my life, I looked around to see what it would look like. I found people in successful marriages and built a model in my mind.
For example, some of the criteria that I saw in those successful marriages were very evident.
- In successful relationships, the couple talked with each other affectionately, there was good communication.
- The amazing love relationships that I saw had couples with values in common.
- Marriages that worked were based on a deep and abiding respect for each other.
And so on…from these observations, it was easy to recognize real love when it presented itself in my life. Modeling is a powerful process that can be extended to all different aspects of our lives.
- Relationships
- Career
- Finances
- Health
- Business development
Where in your life would modeling a successful person help you? Be careful…this powerful process needs to be handled with care… choose the person you model carefully…
Be sure you want the behaviors…and that they align with your core values. If you don’t know what your core values are yet, now is a good time to find out, isn’t it?
"Drive your own life…you deserve to, don't you?" Sherie Venner
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
If Helen Keller was alive today, she would be inspiring audiences as large as Tony Robbins! She had more energy than any 10 women I can think of and I admire her ability to persevere …and even more so, to enjoy life.
She most certainly would and what a wonderful thought!! Thank you, Rhonda, for your comment!
Stand on the shoulders of giants….great article:)
Exactly, Anita, you have hit the nail on the head! Thank you and thanks for your comment!
Helen Keller was an amazing woman, you couldn’t have picked a better one! I was just asking the other day if people still had role models! Guess you’ve answered that one for me! Thanks for a great post
That is probably a very good example of synchronicity, Tara! She definitely was an amazing woman who overcame so much to truly let her light shine on the world. Thanks so much for your comment, Tara!!
This is such a great reminder to get inspiration from someone we admire!
Thank you so much Sherie and modelling is one of the methods which help us to get into the physical state of the person we model, so yes… as you say we have to choose the ‘right person’ first and handle this process with care!!
Solvita, it is a powerful method and choosing the right person is the first and most important step! Thanks so much for your comment! : D
One of my favourite quotes as well. An amazing woman! Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you, Vicky, for your comment!
I love Helen Keller, such an inspiration. I think having great role models is imperative.
Exactly, Stacey! Thanks for your comment!
Hellen Keller is one of my favorite women ever. Her story inspired me as a child, and still does. Talk about a woman who refused to blame others for her struggles! Many of her basic premises of living I have applied to my own life, and I smile each time I see a new quote or remember an old one. Thank you for a beautiful reminder!
She definitely was an exquisite example of taking responsibility, wasn’t she? I am glad that I was able to provide that reminder of one of your favorite women (and one of mine). Thanks so much for taking the time to read the post and for commenting, Ronae!
Beautiful post!! I grew up singing her songs in church, she has always been an inspiration!
Thanks, Stacey! She is such an inspiration. Thank you for your comment!
Sherie this is awesome. “The amazing love relationships that I saw had couples with values in common.” My husband and I have very different personalities but our values are the same. We are best friends
That is so wonderful, Sara, to have values the same and be best friends!! Thanks so much for commenting!
Love, love, love this! This is so vital when you wrote, “Be sure you want the behaviors…and that they align with your core values.” It’s so important to make sure that they align with one’s core values. I just loved your quote, “Drive your own life…you deserve to, don’t you?” I will be sharing that one for sure. Thank you, for sharing your wisdom. I appreciate you
Thank you so much, Susan, that means so much to me. : D I am glad that you like my quote and I really appreciate you and your wisdom, you are a bright, shining light!
I have known many in my life who chose suffering. It did not matter what you said to them. Thanks for spreading the word and fine examples of how the less fortunate are really the more fortunate.
Suzanne, it is not the circumstances who define the people but the people who define the circumstances. : D Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
That’s a beautiful quote that you shared with us Sherie. It’s funny how even though we have the vision to see around us, at times we can be so blind to what is ACTUALLY occurring around us.
Keller is a great example of somebody utilizing their gifts to their fullest as a result of missing some of the core elements that many of us take for granted.
It is one of my many favorite quotes, Edmund! Yes, sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees..Helen Keller is a great example of someone who came and used all of the talents she had and then some! Thank you so much for commenting! : D
Thanks so much for this wonderful article Sherie! I have always found Helen Keller to be an inspiration!
Love your question: “Where in your life would modeling a successful person help you?” It is something to seriously think about. It can only help in many aspects of one’s life…many you have already listed. Thank you so much.
You are so welcome, Alexandra! I am glad that you liked it…I am such a huge fan of that very brilliant woman. Modeling is an amazingly simple yet effective strategy…thanks so much for commenting, I really appreciate you doing so, Alexandra!
Sherie, I had a conversation with a woman that was so committed to suffering. She has been going through some health problems, but refused to see anything positive going on in her life. I told her that she can turn around her attitude, if not her health. I did it, my mother did and countless others. But she refused to see anything good. I do wish her well.
Sometimes, Mona, people get stuck in their suffering and even though you want to help, they don’t see things from the same perspective that you do. Continue to be the great example of healthy living that you are and be an inspiration…that works wonders. Thanks for commenting, I appreciate it!
Modeling. Visualizing. Planning. THEN, person can act when opportunity knocks.
Thanks Sherie. Helen Keller was an amazing woman. She would have been quite justified in being a sour and embittered soul. Instead she created a person that has become a role model.
This article of yours is quite inspiring. It IS necessary for a person to create a model of what they’re looking for. That’s probably the only way that they’ll recognize what they’re looking for when they find it/it finds them!
Thank you, Rob, for your lovely comment! Yes, Helen Keller was an amazing woman and when we pick amazing people to be our role models, we can create amazing things in our own lives, can’t we? When we know what we are looking for, then we can see it when it arrives. : D