In this blog post, I will talk about why I chose a member of my family, specifically my father, as my role model in life and the values I have learned from him.
Many people name famous figures as their role models. However, I believe that a role model should be someone who has helped you the most in your life and who can guide you in the right direction. I would like to talk about my father, who made me who I am today. As the head of our family and a senior doctor, my father has always set a good example for me.
My father is a little strict. This is especially true when it comes to his profession as a doctor. Since I was a child, my father never allowed me to eat fast food such as pizza and chicken, which most children like, or junk food from stationery stores. Most parents try to prevent their children from eating foods that are unhealthy, but my father was very strict about it. I never ordered food delivery at home, and the only time I had fast food was when I was with my friends. At that time, I was young and thought that food was so delicious, so my friends’ mothers would tell my mother to feed me well. To be honest, at that time, I wondered, “Why do I always have to eat what my father wants while watching him, when my friends eat delicious food with their families?” I resented my father a little and even had conflicts with him.
However, when I entered high school and lived away from my family, I understood his feelings and became very grateful to my father. Thanks to my childhood diet, I learned to eat a variety of foods without being picky. Not only that, but while my friends ate whatever they wanted without thinking, I ate with nutritional balance and health in mind. Thanks to this, I lived alone for three years in high school without getting sick.
My father makes me exercise a lot. Since I was young, I learned many sports, such as taekwondo, swimming, basketball, and soccer. In middle school, my father would take me out to play soccer with my younger brother, go jogging, and skateboard. Even during junior high school exam periods, my father placed more importance on regular exercise. In order to advance to a science high school, I could have easily become obsessed with studying, but my father taught me that my health was more important than studying. He always led by example. Even when resting at home, my father often does stretching and calisthenics, showing me the importance of self-care. That is why he is still in great shape even though he is over 50 years old. Growing up with a father like this, I was not particularly good at any sport, but I enjoyed playing soccer, basketball, baseball, and other sports with my friends throughout my school years.
In fact, when I first entered Seoul Science High School, I was one of the few students from outside the Seoul metropolitan area, and I came from Jeju Island, where the educational environment was particularly poor. I was overcome with a sense of inferiority, but sports gave me the opportunity to make many friends, and I realized that my high school friends were just as good as my middle school friends. This mental stability made my school life enjoyable, and I was able to make up for my lack of academic ability with the physical strength I gained from sports. Thanks to this, I was able to graduate from Seoul Science High School with good grades.
My father always set a good example, not only as a surgeon, but also at home. Seeing him go to work early in the morning, even after working late into the night, taught me the meaning of responsibility and sincerity. My father was always proud of his job, and that made our whole family proud. Through my father’s example, I realized how important it is to have a sense of responsibility and pride in one’s work.
To be honest, my father is not very good at expressing his feelings for our family. I think this is partly the reason why my mother and I sometimes argue. However, even after performing surgery in the early hours of the morning and not getting any sleep, my father would go to work the next morning without complaint and give me harsh but wise advice as a father. He is my role model in life.
My father also always strived for self-improvement. Even with his busy schedule as a doctor, he never neglected to acquire new medical knowledge and conduct research. Seeing my father like this, I realized the importance of constantly learning and growing. My father generously shared his knowledge and experience with younger doctors, and through this, he earned the respect of many people. My father’s attitude greatly impressed me, and I too became determined to never stop learning and to continue growing.
My father is more than just my father; he is my role model and the person who showed me the direction of my life. Thanks to my father’s teachings and example, I have a healthy body and mind, and I have realized the importance of responsibility and sincerity. I will never forget my father’s teachings as I move forward in my life. My father will always be a great source of strength for me as my role model.
