Most people polled say celebs inspire them to overcome obstacles

Six in 10 (59%) Americans credit a celebrity with helping them push through a limit in their lives, new research suggests.

A recent poll of 2,000 U.S. adults over the age of 30 found people have pushed on through a tough time personally (44%), taken on a challenge they didn’t think they could do (44%) and improved their physical health and nutrition (41%) thanks to a celebrity role model.

Sixty-nine percent said they’re more likely to respond positively to celebrities if they know they’re struggling with a similar issue.

Oprah Winfrey, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Bear Grylls, Rebel Wilson and Tyler Perry are among the role models who have inspired people to push past limitations such as fear and self-doubt.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of cell health brand MitoQ, the survey also found people’s biggest barriers to success are lack of energy (44%), time (39%) and willpower (38%).

Nearly six in 10 (59%) said they “always” or “often” experience low energy and 49% lack stamina with the same frequency.

If there were no limits in their lives, 43% said they would become an entrepreneur, more so than a visual or performing artist (28%) or a lawyer (27%). Other goals included being “a drug counselor,” “animal rescuer,” “crime scene investigator,” “veterinarian,” and simply “a good mom.”

People also shared life goals inspired by public figures, such as “being a chef like Gordon Ramsay,” “painting like Georgia O’Keeffe,” “acting like Leonardo DiCaprio, “inventing and building like Nikola Tesla,” and “being helpful like Mother Teresa.”

However, respondents’ most relatable role models aren’t far from home — 52% pointed to parents and immediate family, more so than a close friend (44%) or favorite celebrity (41%).

Over half (51%) said that their role model communicating in a conversational, easy-to-understand manner is key to relatability, while less than a third deemed it necessary for a role model to be the same age/generation or gender (34% each) as themselves.

Regardless of their role model of choice, people’s heroes have inspired them to stay optimistic in challenging times (35%) and do things to help others (34%).

Celebrity fitness trainer and MitoQ ambassador Gunnar Peterson knows a lot about inspiring people to push through, has worked with Hollywood A-listers and was a strength coach with a championship-winning NBA franchise. “No one can do it alone, having good support is important. I get mine from my family, but also from the inside as well,” he said. “I can’t afford to be limited by low energy or slowing down, and once I knew that most of the body’s energy comes from deep inside cells, I looked for ways to improve that.”

To push past limits and achieve their goals, many respondents said they wish they had more support, particularly in the form of health products (37%), advice from their close circles (36%), and a fitness/nutrition coach (36%).

More than half (55%) of the people in this survey said they are not familiar with cell health. “I think they’re missing an easy fix,” Peterson responded. “If you can find a cell health product that’s been bioengineered to get deep into cells and boost your body’s daily energy, focus and endurance levels, then that’s taking away some significant limits on what you can achieve with your life, and why wouldn’t you do that?”

CELEBRITIES WHO INSPIRED PEOPLE TO PUSH PAST LIMITS

• Oprah Winfrey
• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Beyoncé
• Tyler Perry
• Rebel Wilson
• Jennifer Lopez
• Stone Cold Steve Austin
• The Kardashians
• Bear Grylls
• Richard Simmons
• Jamie Foxx
• Bethany Hamilton
• 2PAC
• Selma Blair
• Steve Harvey

WHAT PEOPLE WOULD DO IF THERE WERE NO LIMITS

• “Be a baseball player like Yordan Álvarez"
• “Act like Leonardo DiCaprio”
• “Travel to natural settings like David Attenborough”
• “Be a professional musician”
• “Be a psychologist"
• “Be a chef like Gordon Ramsay”
• “Paint like Georgia O'Keeffe”
• “Invent and build like Nikola Tesla”
• “Be helpful like Mother Teresa”
• “Be self sufficient in Alaska"