There are so many influences out there in the world. Family, friends, celebrities, books, movies, events, politicians, the list goes on and on. So many of us get caught up in stereotypes and stigmas that we tend to lose ourselves along the way of life.
I relate to this quote on an extremely personal level as I’m an introvert, yet as I’m growing older, I can argue that I’m growing into more of an ambivert. In fact, if you ask my father, he would call me a hermit (honestly…he does it very frequently). That’s not the reason why I relate to this quote though. There’s a deeper understanding of this quote that is extremely important in our journeys though life.
As I mentioned earlier, there are so many factors that can persuade people’s character and decisions. Naturally, there are two responses that sort people into two distinct groups: leaders and followers. While both occur automatically, you can teach the ability to go against the flow of others.
Followers get caught up in the trends and stereotypes of the world. Leaders create their own paths. Followers let others represent them. Leaders refuse to let their opinions go unheard. Followers get lost along the way. Leaders are out there creating the way. The biggest difference between the two? Leaders know exactly who they are and what they stand for while followers simply go with whatever seems the most convenient at the time.
How does one achieve this leader life? By being alone.
First of all, being alone is extremely important in our mental health. Everyone needs time away from the loud voices of our society in-order to form their own voice, and in some cases, even learn to recognize that they have the ability to form their own voice. We tend to forget that we have the pen to our own stories, not the world.
Secondly, the Bible teachers that God made everyone their own distinct character, not one duplicate roaming the earth. With his own hands, God created each and everyone of us as unique individuals. He spent time forming each and everyone of us, not finishing until we are perfect in his own eyes. Why throw it away? Why let that go to waste?
As a society, we get so caught up in everyone else that we forget this. We forget the importance of being ourselves. Growing older, going on the journey of getting ready to apply to college, I realize that our character only gets more crucial as life goes on, more detrimental as we continue to grow and build relationships.
YOUR character is what makes impressions. YOUR personality is what builds relationships. YOUR feelings are what drives your decisions. And most importantly…YOUR decisions are what dictate that rest of YOUR life.
Not once did the paragraph above mention an US or WE. Only YOU. In life that’s it. That’s all you are guaranteed. You are the only person who controls your life. Spend the time early on focusing and building yourself in-order to prevent a rude awakening later on when you reach the real world. You’ll find that the only person you can count on is yourself, so you better build yourself a good support system. It’s all you have.