Success secret: pick the right kind of role model - Your Life

Depending on whether you're the type who hopes to become rich or the type who hopes not to be poor, your choice of role model matters. People who focus on a favorable outcome do better with positive role models, while people who want to avoid an unfavorable outcome do better with a negative role model, Canadian researchers found. So the former -- a "promotion-minded" woman who hopes to become wealthy -- should pick a rich role model, while the latter -- a "prevention-minded" woman who hopes not to be poor -- might look to a homeless person for inspiration.

It also helps to pick a positive role model who's realistic, says University of Toronto psychologist Penelope Lockwood, Ph.D. "If the other's achievements seem out of reach, comparing yourself to that person could be demoralizing," she says.

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COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group