Kill your idols.

“People are not who you want them to be. Kill your idols. Sure there are things we can learn from people–but people aren’t going to be what you think they are–what they should be.

“People, even those people you have put up on a pedestal, are going to be faulted, weak, egomaniacal, condescending. They are going to be lazy, entitled, shortsighted. They will not be perfect. Far from it.

“That’s fine. Learn from their weaknesses. Of course: learn from their strengths and mimic and copy them in what they do well. But equally as important: Learn from their faults.

“See what not to do.

“Because you can’t control other people. You can’t make them what you want them to be. You can’t make them who you want them to be.

“The only person you can control is you. So focus on making yourself who you want to be:

“Faster. Stronger. Smarter. More humble. Less ego.”

–from “Discipline Equals Freedom”, Jocko Willink