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When you think about it we make choices everyday without realizing it. Our choices may be based on influences such as: the media, celebrities, athletes, peers, parents, teachers, and the list goes on. When we're so caught up in making the same choice as everyone around us, are we ever really making choices of our own?
"Life is an exercise in mindless conformity" - Unknown
What does that mean you ask? It means that throughout life we make unconscious decisions based on being like others. An example is a fashion trend. Once we see people wearing things like Ugg boots, Bench Jackets, or super destroyed jeans then it doesn't take long for the majority to crowd the malls with the same items in our hands as the person standing next to us. The "Y" Generation is crumbling and we're becoming less like individuals and more like clones.
A wise man, J. Martin Kohe, once said, "The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose." The choices we make shape the person we become. Making wise choices best suited for us rather than everyone else around us is an essential way of not loosing ourselves in the hustle and bustle of the "trends".
Now with all that said I'd like you to answer these questions in your head. What's your favorite color, favorite movie, favorite book, favorite food, and favorite animal? How about your favorite class in school, or favorite sport? Now stop! What were your answers based on? Were they based on something your friends would choose, something the media would expect, or anything else that might influence your decision? Probably not, right? You answered them the way you did because that's who you are.
If you think about it we also get to choose things like our attitude. We choose how we act and treat people. We choose what post secondary school we go to, if any. We choose what job/career we would like to have. We choose whether to get married, and have kids; or we could choose not to.
This month's virtue is Respect. So I challenge you to respect yourself by choosing not to be anyone but you. Don't try to make yourself look skinny because of the cheerleader on TV. Don't go out and buy a pair of jeans for $150 just because they're super destroyed and everyone else has them. Be proud to be yourself and who knows, you just might start "influencing" everyone around you to do the same!
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