Professional athletes have become some of the most influential individuals in our society today. While it is great to see the youth have someone to look up to. They are not the only role models we have.

Today, we have athletes like LeBron James who speak out against injustices around the country. James is someone that many kids look up and aspire to become.

This is not a bad thing though. It is always good to have a figure that you can depend on to give you good advice. The problem I see time and time again is that people disregard anyone else who isn't an athlete at being a role model. Our society has so many people who can potentially be role models.

It is as simple as having your parents be your role models. A local leader, a mentor or a professor can easily become a role model. This may be hard to understand, but role models don't have to be universally known.

Having a LeBron James as a role model is easy because he is so recognizable and his life is an open book because of him being an NBA star.

Role models give guidance, whether that guidance be direct or indirect it's still a large part of why they're role models. Indirectly means that someone you follow on Twitter, for example, says something profound and you try to live your life through their guidance. Direct guidance is someone you know personally. Someone that is just a phone call away.

I think we need to have more direct relationships when it comes to role models. It is much easier to get genuine advice from someone you know personally. Some of these athletes we look up to may only say what they say because they don't want to damage their brand. A person that is invested in you on a personal level will most likely not try and protect their brand if they have a brand to protect of course.

This is not to dismiss the impact of our professional athletes. Some are great people and you should definitely look up to them. If they have a great set of morals and you truly believe in their motives. Then I see no problem with that person being your role model. Just don't let their every action dictate your every action.

If you live your life through theirs then you'll never grow into the person you would want to become. This notion also goes for role models that are local or close to you. Role models are here to give guidance and well-needed advice. They are not here for you to mirror your life after theirs.

Everyone's circumstances are different and what may have worked for a role model may not work for you. If someone you look up to skipped college, like Bill Gates, and became a billionaire. That does not give you the okay to drop out because a degree is necessary to actually survive in our society. Do not take replicate their lives. It most likely will not end up the way you want it to.

There is nothing wrong with having professional athletes as a role model in your life. There is nothing wrong with having someone you never met as your role model. I will forever look up to Malcolm X and consider him a role model. And I dare you to come at me with that, "he's dead, so you can't look up to him." A lot of people have deceased individuals as role models because that person touched their lives in some way.

Role models can be anyone and they can be in any profession. They are not limited to activists, celebrities or professional athletes. You have potential role models around you. If you want a role model, then think about someone close to you that truly has impacted your life. Because those are the best to give you advice on this crazy roller coaster we call life.