“It’s just a phase.”

“You’ll get over it.”

“Don’t be obsessive.”

Most every teenager has heard their parents utter these lines at least once. As teenagers, we are most susceptible to the people seemingly made of pixie dust and rainbows. They are depicted in many forms—book characters, television personalities, or even the celebrities we merely read about in magazines. We are constantly searching for validation, and sometimes we find that in our ability to live vicariously through the lives of others.

In 2009, I moved from my love for Hannah Montana into a much more sophisticated brand of musical influence. I can remember the moment I became enthralled by Michael Jackson’s life and story, or what we call being a “Moonwalker.” I was watching the evening news on Channel 13 with my parents. The day was June 25, 2009, and NBC was paying tribute to the life and times of the world’s greatest superstar. I can remember making fun of the way he looked with his long hair and chiseled cheekbones, but his voice touched me that day, and from that moment on, I have held a deep reservoir of love and respect for him. I have since joined the Instagram fandom community, and have gained over four thousand followers. Not only have I made a deep connection with Michael Jackson, I have now created great relationships with people who share my same values. Michael Jackson has taught me that love is the one thing that you can give to others without actually possessing yourself, and that holding grudges only brings you down, everyone else is going to go on living.

The next year, I fell in love with WWE superstar, Shawn Michaels. Michaels began his career in wrestling industry in 1984, and the strain of being on the road constantly and always being away from the people he loved led Michaels to begin abusing drugs. In 1998 during a match with The Undertaker (Mark Calloway), Michaels took a fall, and herniated two discs and crushed another one in his lower spine. Michaels was away from the business for four years and was told he’d never wrestle again. During his time off, he found the Lord and quit his drug and alcohol abuse. In 2002, he returned to the ring, and continued his legacy until 2010, when he retired after 26 years in the business. Shawn Michaels has taught me that there is no greater strength than being able to look yourself in the mirror and realize that you need help. His ability to thrive in an environment where you have to be large in order to succeed, showed me that if you put your mind to something, anything is possible. He has shown me that hard work and perseverance pays off, and that life is not always fair, but it is rewarding.

These are my two biggest inspirations. Sure, they may not mean a whole lot to everyone else, but they mean the absolute world to me. They have taught me lessons that will stick with me my entire life. I’ve seen failure, I’ve seen struggle, but I’ve also seen victory and triumph. My role models are human. They cut and they bleed, but they also love and heal. They give me the strength to continue.

Everybody has that one person who can speak to them in ways that other people cannot ever understand. Whether it be a singer, an artist, a celebrity, or a book character, everyone longs for that connection. I have been blessed with several amazing role models who have helped shape me into the person I am. I am a mixture of many things, and I’m proud to say that my inspirations have had an influence on that.