to think obsessive role models might not be good for children

[IceBeing]

I feel that every success story I see on the news or in social media these days is based around somebody saying they only ever cared about one thing in their life and spent all their time working towards one goal.

This includes sports people, movie stars, pop stars, business leaders politicians etc.

I feel that obsession is being sold to us as a model for being successful in life.

For the vast majority of people, they can obsess all they like and commit 100% to their dream ambition - they still won't achieve it...(as an endless parade of wannabes on X-factor will attest - they all only ever dreamed of being a singer, have worked their whole lives for it etc. and only a few a year make it meaningfully).

So what happens to the mental health of all the people who are being sold a model of success that won't work for them, because they don't have the talent of the people they hope to emulate?

On average having a lot of strings to your bow, a lot of independent areas of interest in your life is a good way to remain mentally healthy because when one aspect goes shit shaped you have the others to fall back on.

AIBU to think celebrating the success of obsessive people non-stop all of social media might be contributing to the declining mental health of young people?

I think it depends on the field of the obsession. Some careers just involve a whole lot more luck than others - getting the right gigs, being in the right place at the right time, happening to know someone... If a young person wants to become a doctor, teacher or nurse and is getting the grades to realistically aim for that, with hard work it's not unlikely they will reach their goal. Whereas if that same child wants to become an actor or a football star, even if they put in the same effort or more towards their goal, there's much less chance they will 'make it' as there are far fewer opportunities, more people going after each one and not many mid-level type careers - you either make it big or it just turns into a hobby you can't really make a living from.