Young adolescents do not want to be left to their own devices. In national surveys and focus groups, America’s youth have given voice to a serious longing. They want more regular contact with adults who care about them and respect them, more opportunities to contribute to their communities, protection from the hazards of drugs, violence, and gangs, and greater access to constructive and attractive alternatives to the loneliness that so many now experience.

If you can think back to when you were a kid, you can probably remember some of the questions you had like, “what do I want to be when I grow up?” I think the biggest impact role models can have on our youth is helping them identify questions they didn’t originally have. Our youth some times can’t see further than their circle of friends and it’s the job of the role model to give them a glimpse of what the world has to offer.

Today, as I look back, I can identify people I looked up to as a kid and it’s why I coach youth volleyball and am a Junior Achievement volunteer. I want to have a positive impact on someone’s life but it’s not always easy. There is a lot that can get in the way and as I thought about this, I thought it would only be appropriate to identify what advice I would give to someone asking themselves the question: “Am I being a good role model?”

Here are 6 tips I would give to anyone:

1) Realize you’re a role model

Before you can follow any of these tips, you have to realize you’re a role model. We are all role models at some capacity but we have a choice on whether or not we want to make a positive or negative impact on the lives of our youth. 24% of the US population is under the age of 18; a simple interaction can have an impact. Unfortunately, a good percentage of these kids are probably following reality TV celebrities and pop singers that promote sex, drugs and violence. I really like Reese Witherspoon’s interview about her comment, “it’s possible to make it in Hollywood without a reality TV show.”

2) Listen, Listen, Listen

It’s easy to talk about yourself and difficult to listen. I love Mark Twain’s quote, “If God would have wanted us to talk more than listen, he would have given us 2 mouths and 1 ear.” Sometimes we’re so eager to provide advice before we even know the person’s situation and that person might only need to be heard. When the time is right, you’re opportunity to provide advice will come.

3) Respect their privacy

With the growth of free, online publishing (like my blog here), it’s easy to post about everything you do, including your discussions with those you’re mentoring. This is a bad idea. Everything you write online is there permanently and you can risk losing the trust of not only the person you’re working with but may have lost the respect of being a positive role model for anyone else in the future. I have heard so many stories of teachers, coaches and mentors losing their jobs as a consequence of negative comments they made about kids they’ve worked with on their social profiles.

4) Don’t think you always have the answer

I think the best quality a role model can have is the ability to swallow their pride. Yes, we may have a lot of answers but we have to admit when we don’t. I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves with trying to have the right answer all the time and it’s not necessary. The best thing you can do is be honest and let them know that you will find someone that does have the answer.

5) Put politics aside

I have spoken to many teachers that have left their profession or are considering leaving because of the politics they have to deal with. It can certainly be challenging to deal with parents, administration and other views from the community but you have to remember why you’re there. At the end of the day, it’s about the kids and as long as you’re doing your part to help them better their lives, you have to let the other stuff go. (Of course, I am not a teacher and don’t mentor full time so I can imagine getting burnt out is common.)

6) Never stop looking for your role model

Until the day we die, we’re always learning something new. It’s silly to think we’ve experienced and learned everything under the moon. It’s true that we may have met a lot of our goals in life but that just means you need to set new goals. The world is full of endless opportunities and it’s our responsibility to make it a better place by making ourselves better and that starts with finding the right role model.

We are conquering the mall in phases and today we just moved to the 3rd phase. I thought the slide was the coolest part, until I saw the old sky ride gondolas from Brackenridge Park. The skyride at Brackenridge Park was one of my greatest memories as a child growing up in San Antonio and I was so sad when they decided to shut it down. When the gondolas went on auction, I thought to myself “It would be nice to have one of those in my backyard.” Well, technically I now have one in my backyard – the Rackspace office.

Here’s a couple of shots in the new area including me in the gondola and Jason on the slide. (oh and I had a fun toy sitting at my desk when I arrived!)

I placed my order on Tuesday night. Wednesday morning I received a call from a Phoenix, Arizona location. I answered and it was a rep from TinyPrints. My initial thought for the phone call was that maybe they have to verify my credit card information. The rep goes on to talk about my order and how on my return address labels, it said ‘The Bartels.’ She asked if it was referring to my family (more than one) and I said ‘yes.’ What could she be getting at?

She went on to say that the proper plural form would be ‘The Bartelses’ but she recommended saying ‘The Bartels Family’ since the ‘es’ looks a little funny. She asked if I wanted to have it updated.

I had her change the name and she went on to complete my order.

Wow. I’ve always liked using their service because:

1. They have tons of unique designs from lots of designers.
2. They have an amazing web interface, from the initial search to customizing your order.
3. They have great customer service.

They always say that a designer reviews each piece and I can attest to that.

I prefer to do my cards online to save time but still want the feeling of dealing with my own personal designer. TinyPrints gives me that.

To top it off, after I wrote this post, I received a personal, hand written card from Lorien (the lady I spoke to from Phoenix) thanking me for my business.

Here’s our 2011 Holiday Card. Happy Holidays!

As I thought about this, I drew up a list of things that make San Antonio great. Yes, we have the Alamo and the Spurs (one of the top 10 Finals team of all time) but I purposely did not include these on the list. We are a great place for tourists but I think an even better place for locals. Here’s why:

1. We’re Hiring!

Forbes recently released the results from a survey conducted by the ManpowerGroup revealing what the job opportunity landscape looks like in metropolitan areas across the US. “The survey reveals that the metropolitan area with the most optimistic forecast of all for hiring this fall is San Antonio, Texas.”

Richard Perez, president and chief executive of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, goes on to state that:

“San Antonio’s list of large employers is long and diverse. We do not rely heavily on one area and that is by design. San Antonio has many industries that together keep us a resilient economy. We are fortunate to have many strong industries, and many strong companies with large employee bases.”

Click here to read the full article.

With the US unemployment rate sitting at 9.1%, this is something to be very proud of (San Antonio is sitting at 7.9% right now).

2. We’re Smarter than you Think

As the home to six 4-year accredited colleges and universities and five community colleges, we have 30,000 students graduate from San Antonio colleges and universities every year. Here’s a list of our great schools:

Alamo Community College District: Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, St. Philip’s College, San Antonio College, Northeast Lakeview College

4-year Accredited Colleges and Universities: Our Lady of the Lake University, St. Mary’s University, Trinity University, The University of Texas at San Antonio, University of the Incarnate Word, Texas A&M – San Antonio

And we’re home to the University of Texas Health Science Center, ranked in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving NIH funding and has endowments of $367 million market value.

3. Big Homes, Smaller Mortgages

Compared to the rest of the country, San Antonio’s cost of living is 16.60% lower than the U.S. average.

If nothing catches your attention off this list, hopefully this does. I have friends on the East Coast and West Coast and this is the #1 thing they are envious of – the amount of square footage we get for significantly lower costs than other places across the country. Everything is bigger in Texas is true when it comes to size of homes and amount of land one family gets.

4. Great Food

We recently ranked in the top 10 of Travel and Leisure’s America’s Best Cities for Foodies. They quote:

“People say they come here for the historic Alamo, but it could very well be the queso- and chile-sauce-slathered Tex-Mex: San Antonio ranked in the top 10 for both ethnic fare and barbecue.”

Many other great restaurants have been featured on various Food TV shows including Los Barrios on the Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay, La Gloria’s Owner Johnny Hernandez on Bravo’s Top Chef, Taco Taco Cafe on Food Network’s Bon Appetit and Tip Top on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

5. Home to the 1st Smithsonian outside of the Nation’s Capital

The Museo Alameda is the first formal affiliate of the Smithsonian outside of Washington D.C. and is what started the Smithsonian’s affiliations program. San Antonio was mentioned in the NY Times as having a

“…broad visual art scene that ranges from contemporary to folk, with a special concentration on Latino work. There’s a First Friday art walk (southtown.net); nonprofit centers like Artpace (artpace.org); and quality museums like the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Witte Museum and the Briscoe Western Art Museum, which is set to open in 2012.”

6. Great Place for Families

You don’t have to make a trip to Houston, Dallas or Orlando to experience theme parks for your kids; we have them right in our own backyard. We’re home to two major theme parks, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Sea World (the largest), and to the San Antonio Zoo. It doesn’t end there. We also have the Botanical Gardens, Witte Museum, the San Antonio Children’s Museum, Kiddie Park (a local favorite), and Morgans Wonderland (the world’s first ultra-accessible family fun park).

7. FIESTA: “The Party with a Purpose”

New Orleans is known for it’s Mardi Gras and San Antonio is known for it’s Fiesta week. Fiesta San Antonio started in 1891 as a one-parade event and has evolved today into one of this nation’s premier festivals with more than 100 events and an economic impact of almost $284 million for the city. Each event is produced by a nonprofit organization and the funds raised provide services to San Antonio citizens throughout the year.

I think Fiesta is a reflection of the vibrant colors of San Antonio and most importantly, it’s a reflection of the strong philanthropy community we have in San Antonio.

8. Vineyards Down the Road

You don’t have to take a trip to Napa to enjoy good wineries. You can drive up to the Texas Hill Country to discover over 30 unique wineries. USA Today quotes:

“With more than 200 wineries, Texas has become a leading state for vintners. And the scenic area near Austin and San Antonio is the center of the action. Winemakers have learned that grapes from other warm-climate areas do well here, including Spanish Tempranillo, French Syrah and Italian Sangiovese, Siegel says. With all the attention, the town of Fredericksburg has become a mini-Napa with fine restaurants, shopping and bed-and-breakfasts.”

9. Great Place for Entrepreneurs

This is something I am most excited about because providing the foundation for businesses to get a healthy start is what will keep San Antonio thriving. We have successful and influential businessmen and women in this city and their willingness to help the next generation is admirable. Geekdom is helping tech startups:

“Geekdom is a nonprofit organization that will host technology workshops, lectures and events. It also provides office space to startups and desks to other technology workers through an application process. The center has an outreach effort to local high school and college students.”

I’m proud to have worked with many of the individuals behind this program and am excited to see what’s to come.

And if you’re looking to get into the restaurant business but don’t have the funds to get started, Bake, Broil and Brew provides an “incubator kitchen for entrepreneurs.”

10. Because Mark Twain Said So

Mark Twain, America’s most famous literary icons, once said,

“There are only four unique cities in America: Boston, New Orleans, San Francisco and San Antonio.”

No need to argue with that.

As with everything, there is always room for improvement and by no means do I think San Antonio has met the standards of a picture perfect city, if that even exists. We need better public transportation, more establishments for downtown residents and more green initiatives (although San Antonio has implemented an organic recycling pilot program for select neighborhoods). But I don’t think it gives us “sucky” status – I think it’s a sign for us to speak up and make changes.

A city is a reflection of the actions of its’ residents. You’re here for a reason so please help make it a better place.

I would love to hear your comments.