Today I want to write about something that I guess we have all experienced under one guise or another; peer pressure.
It has trailed me from primary school and all the way now up to University. I guess I just thought that it was only relevant to teenagers but it seems that it is a recurring theme that will pop up at different stages of life.
The difference however is that as we get older it can manifest in more subtle ways. Let’s go back to basics and find out the definition of the word. According to Dictionary.com peer pressure is defined as:
Social pressure by members of one’s peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted.
Now, I don’t know about you but I’m not about doing things just to be ‘accepted’ by people. Sometimes however I have found myself in situations where I seem to be the only person that is not keen on doing something that others want to do. If it is something I feel strongly about I just say no.
If you don’t take a stand you will find that for the rest of your life you will be that person who just ‘ goes with the flow’ without really thinking things through. You will be letting others dictate to you what to do.
One thing that I have always lived by is that after God, my happiness comes first. When you’re alone, by yourself and alone with your thoughts everything comes back to you.
When you’re pleasing others you’re giving them power to define your happiness. You’re giving them power to control your life and power to determine what you should be doing. Nobody is that special.
Peer pressure becomes a domino effect affecting everyone in the process. It’s so sad to think that there are adults that still do this. The irony is that those you are trying to please could care less about you half the time.
The majority isn’t always right and if it means you swimming against the current you do that and be comfortable in the decision that you made.
P.S. If you find yourself constantly having to say no because of what others in your group want to do you might just have to consider a new change of scene- if you get what I mean 😉