He that would be superior to external influences must first become superior to his own passions. – Samuel Johnson
Types of Influence
You are who you are today as a result of an incredible array of circumstances, coincidences, and events that have shaped your life over time. I’m not only talking about your life circumstances or your time here on earth. I’m talking about the bigger picture that has shaped the evolution of humanity over the course of millions of years.
Everything that has happened over the course of time has led to this very moment in time. In other words, everything that is happening right now has been influenced by the events and circumstances that occurred before this moment. And this goes back weeks, months and years of your life here on earth. However, it also goes back even further.
You are who you are today and society is how it is today because of the choices and decisions that generations before you have made. As such, all your current perspectives, thoughts and ways of navigating the world are a result of everything that has shaped humanity and life over thousands if not millions of years of social, political, spiritual, and economic evolution.
The Collective Paradigm
You think you know who you are, and you probably feel as though you are the one operating your own life. However, being in control may only be a figment of your own imagination. Yes, of course, you are somewhat in control. You control your thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. You make independent choices, decisions and you do what you feel is necessary to live your life with purpose. However, this is somewhat of an illusion.
Yes, you have the independence to do, be, think, say, feel, have and achieve whatever your heart desires. However, whatever your heart desires has its limitations. Consider for a moment a goldfish living in a fish tank. This goldfish has the freedom to do whatever it likes within this fish tank. However, the fish tank itself has limitations. It constricts the goldfish in a space where it can swim, think and live in the area of the fish tank. For the goldfish, this isn’t a problem. It doesn’t know of a world beyond the fish tank. Its world lies only within the fish tank, and it can do whatever it wants within the confines of this world. As such, its perspectives and thoughts are limited to the world within the fish tank. To the goldfish, anything outside the fish tank just doesn’t exist. It, therefore, has the freedom to do, think, feel and live as it likes, however, that freedom is limited by the boundaries of the fish tank. And in a similar way, you are limited by the boundaries of evolution.
There are these things we call collective paradigms. Collective paradigms have evolved over the course of human evolutionary history. These paradigms are shared rules, assumptions, boundaries, standards, evaluations, beliefs and limitations that we have come to accept and adopt over time. They shape how we think, what we say, how we do things, and the perspectives we hold about relationships, friendships, people, career, health, business, religion, etc. Moreover, these collective paradigms shape what we view as being beautiful or ugly, right or wrong, sinful or godly, normal or unusual, etc. These are things that are rarely if ever questioned. They are simply a part of life; a part of my life; and a part of your life.
These collective paradigms are created over the course of human history by those with influence and power. For instance, at one stage, it was widely believed that the earth was flat. However, over the course of time that assumptions was challenged by some very independent thinkers such as Aristotle and Columbus. These people questioned what was widely accepted as being true, and over time created a new collective paradigm that transformed how we perceived our planet.
The social norms that you wholeheartedly accept were created over the course of many generations by people of military, religious, political and social influence. These people or groups of people influenced the masses into thinking about, believing in, and perceiving things a certain way.
Today you think, believe and perceive things a certain way because it feels natural and normal. You don’t question why you drink coffee in the morning; you don’t question why you eat three meals per day; you don’t question why it’s polite to say “thank you”; you don’t question why people get married; you don’t question why you need to go to work every day; you don’t question why almost everyone drinks milk; you don’t question why it’s important to get an education; you don’t question why you believe in your faith; you don’t question why we need politicians; you don’t question why buildings have windows; you don’t question why men wear ties; you don’t question why women wear high heels; you don’t question why there are road rules, etc.
There are many things in life that we simply do not question. We just accept them as being a normal part of life — a part of being human. However, who says that these things are right or wrong? Things are the way they are because at one stage the masses accepted that things should be this way and not another way. And until an independent radical thinker with influence and power presents things in another way, then we will simply continue to believe what we believe, to think what we think, to expect what we have come to expect and to do what we do.
Have we been hypnotized by the collective paradigm? Are we living out of free will? Do we even have a choice?
We are like a goldfish stuck in a fish tank. We understand and accept the world we live in, however little do we realize that there is a far bigger and broader world beyond the fish tank. This world beyond the fish tank is outside of our current perspective — as was once the idea that the world was round. And what’s not within our perspective, we simply do not question and/or comprehend. We continue to live within the confines of our own minds — continuously shaped by the collective paradigms we create together.
Social Influence
On a smaller scale, your choices, decisions, actions, thoughts, and perspectives are heavily influenced by your social environment. Have a think about your colleagues, friends, family members, teachers, and mentors. All of these people influence you in some way through their choices, decisions, opinions, and actions. Likewise, you influence them in your own way, and together you form collective beliefs, opinions, and perspectives about certain things. In fact, every group of people who spend a majority of their time together will form their own collective beliefs, opinions, and perspectives about things. As such, even though different groups might share the same collective paradigms, they will differ slightly in opinion and perspective when it comes to certain aspects of life.
It’s important to also take into consideration cultural indoctrination. Your cultural and religious backgrounds are built upon certain beliefs, perspectives, and traditions. All of these things influence how you think, what you say, and the decisions you make, or the decisions you choose not to make on a daily basis.
Also take into account the books, magazines, and newspapers you read; take into account the music and radio stations you listen to; take into account the television programs you watch, the types of media you tune into, and the websites you browse. All of these things are influencing how you think, what you say, and the perspectives you hold onto. You are therefore continuously being conditioned by the society you live in.
It’s, of course, your choice what perspectives you take on board, however, most of the time it’s just easy to accept things how they are and not ever question your assumptions.
The social world you live in presents you with an incredible array of opportunities to think, feel and experience life a certain way. You most certainly have a choice, however, if you never question your choices and just accept things as they are, then you never really have a choice, to begin with. The world is shaping you, and you are simply nothing more than a goldfish swimming in the confines of a fish tank built for you by the collective consciousness of humanity.
Consider the social world you interact with every single day and have a think about how it is influencing your life’s choices and decisions. Ask yourself:
What influence do my peers have over my life?
What influence does my cultural indoctrination have over my choices and decisions?
What influence does the media have over my perspectives?
How is the social world I’m living in shaping my thoughts, opinions and perspectives on a daily basis?
What is my social world turning me into?
Do I have any choice in these matters?
You always have a choice. However, in order to choose, you have to begin to ask some tough questions that will help you to start peering into the world beyond the confines of your fish tank.
Personal Influence
There is no doubt that collective paradigms and social factors influence every choice and decision you make. However, you also shape your own perspectives as a result of what you focus on and how you focus on things.
Every experience you have had, every mistake you have made, every success and/or failed endeavor, and all the experiences and knowledge you have acquired over a lifetime shapes who you are today. In other words, your past is shaping your present. Therefore the past assumptions you’ve made and experiences you’ve had are influencing the direction of your life today. They are influencing you in this way because over the course of your life you have chosen to focus on things a certain way and as a result, you are now reaping the consequences of the attention you have given to those things.
It’s common knowledge that the experiences we have as children shape how we think, what we believe and value. In fact, your childhood experiences shape your entire psychological life. You most likely do many things today a certain way because of specific childhood experiences you have had. If for instance, you had a different set of childhood experiences, then you would think very differently today, which would lead to different choices and decisions.
However, it doesn’t just come down to your experiences. It comes down to how you remember and perceive your experiences. It also comes down to how you interpret your experiences. In other words, the extent of influence that your past has over your life is not so much determined by what actually happened, but rather by how you remember, interpret and perceive what actually happened. Your memories of your past, therefore, don’t need to be accurate. In fact, it doesn’t even matter whether or not they are accurate. False memories are just as powerful as real memories. Both types will significantly influence your choices, thoughts, and perspectives in the present moment — for better or worse.
Consider for a moment all your past experiences of pain and pleasure you have had and the environments you have interacted with. All your experiences and the environments that have touched your life are currently shaping who you are today. And the decisions you make today determine who you will become tomorrow. And if you don’t like what you’re becoming, then it’s fully within your power to take control of your personal destiny. And that’s where the MasterMind Matrix comes into the picture. It will help you unlock and transform the hidden patterns that are shaping your life as you know it.
Everything that has happened in the past cannot be changed. However, what can change is how you choose to live your life today and what you will do to create a better tomorrow. You always have the freedom to choose. It’s up to you to make the right choices moving forward.
Peer Influence
It is said that you are the average sum total of your five closest friends. In other words, if we were to combine the looks, personality, opinions, thoughts, perspectives, beliefs and values of your five closest friends, then we would essentially get “you”.
If this is true, then you either have nothing to worry about, or you have a world of worry weighing heavily on your shoulders. You have nothing to worry about if your friends are influencing you in a positive and helpful way. However, you should be very concerned if your friends are influencing you in a negative and unhelpful way.
You undoubtedly have things you would like to do over a lifetime. You might, in fact, have some wonderful goals that you would like to achieve. However, there’s a distinct possibility that you will never achieve these goals — you will never be able to do the things you want to do if your peers are influencing you the wrong way.
You might, for instance, want to move in a certain direction. However, your peers are moving in an opposite direction. This creates friction. You have all these wonderful things you want to do, however, these things will never come to fruition because your peers are pulling you onto a different path.
Your peers might not necessarily have a negative influence on your life. They might actually be very good people with great intentions. They are just looking out for what they think are your best interests. However, where you want to go, and where they are trying to take you is in conflict. As such, their influence isn’t aligned with your deepest wants, desires, and needs, and will, therefore, cause you a great deal of regret and pain in the long-run.
Have a think about the people in your life and consider for a moment:
How are these people influencing me?
Are they influencing me in a positive or negative way?
What intentions do they have for me?
What expectations do they have of me?
Are we headed along the same path?
Are we headed more or less in the same direction?
Consider for a moment that your peers might not have a positive influence on your life. In such instances, they could very well be limiting your growth, your creativity, and your independence. They could also be lowering your personal standards and/or the expectations you have of yourself. In fact, your peers might be destroying your self-confidence and self-esteem. They might be tearing you down emotionally without you even realizing it. In fact, they might have you feeling kind of “stuck”. Your life is stagnating and you have no idea why. Little do you realize that everything might instantly change the moment you let go of the peer influences in your life.
Most people will, of course, have good intentions. However, there might be times when your peers use covert methods of influence against you. They might, for instance, behave in a certain way, or say something that makes you feel guilty or fearful. And as a result of these feelings, you make a different set of choices and decisions that lead you away from your desired destination and instead towards a destination filled with regret and pain. Now, of course, this might not be intentional, however, it certainly doesn’t change the fact that it happens more often than we care to acknowledge.
Humans are naturally comfort-seeking creatures. We enjoy certainty and feeling comfortable about our lives and about the people in our lives. We also enjoy the company of others. This is all about “connection” and about finding common ground with others. However, when one of our friends does or says something that makes us feel as though we’re losing that connection, then we will naturally fight back and try to reestablish that connection once again. And reestablishing that connection might mean that we will discourage the other person from doing something — unknowingly pulling them away from their goals and aspirations.
As much as this is hard to admit, people will often prefer that their peers do not change more than they change, and will, therefore, do whatever it takes to keep their friends at or below their level in terms of financial success, career development, health, relationships, growth, etc.
People feel inadequate if their friends are making progress in life and leaving them behind. As such, they will constantly burden their friends with pessimism and problems, in an unconscious attempt to keep them at their baseline level.
Scenarios such as this indicate that it’s time to move on. It shows that both your lives are no longer congruent. You are both moving in different directions and your social energies are no longer aligned. As such, it’s time to move on and cut ties — at least for the foreseeable future. Holding onto friendships that no longer serve a purpose doesn’t help either person. You are just holding each other back, and as a result, both your lives will stagnate and suffer. However, moving on in this way is not easy for some people. In fact, many people find it extremely difficult to move on. These people are seduced by peer influence.
Signs of Peer Influence
We are all independent thinkers to some extent. However, some people are certainly more independent than others. Some people interact with others and consistently take other people’s opinions, thoughts and perspectives into consideration, however, in the end, they make up their own mind on how to think and do things. There are however other people who are less independent thinkers who are often seduced by peer influence. These people tend to depend and rely on others about how they should think, what they should do, how they must behave and dress. They rely on others to provide them cues about what they should believe, what they must say in certain situations, and the kinds of perspectives and opinions they should hold onto.
There is nothing wrong with modeling and mirroring other people. It happens all the time, mostly at an unconscious level of awareness. However, this does become problematic if you completely lose your self-identity in the process. This is bad because you are fully relying on other people to provide you with cues on how you should act, what you should think, and the things you should believe in. This completely robs you of choice. And what’s worse, is that all of a sudden you are relying on these people to support your self-esteem. Therefore the emotions you experience on a daily basis are now dependent on the cues that other people give you. Even if those cues are positive, you are not working through your own self but rather through others, and if those cues change for the worse in the future, then your emotional life will also suffer as a result.
To identify whether you are being seduced by peer influence, take into consideration the following symptoms:
You are consistently obsessed with your appearance.
You are persistently shy yet have an obsessive desire to fit-in with others.
You have a fear of authority.
You have low self-esteem and low self-confidence.
You are constantly seeking approval from others.
You are often indecisive and reluctant to make decisions on your own.
You tend to alter your behavior depending on who is watching.
If you ticked three or more of these symptoms off your list, then it’s very possible that you are susceptible to peer influence. And if that’s the case, then you will need to urgently work through the guidelines for overcoming influence found in the final section of this article.
Keep in mind that for better or worse your peers shape your experience of pain and pleasure. They shape the questions you ask, the goals you set, the decisions you make, the words you use, and the habits you tend to indulge in. They also influence your thoughts, your beliefs, your values, your expectations, and your perspectives about yourself, about others and about life. In fact, your peers influence every aspect of your psyche.
While thinking about all this, do you feel somewhat uneasy? It’s okay if you do. In fact, you should feel uneasy, because if you’re being seduced by peer influence, then your life isn’t really your own life. It’s rather a life that others have created for you. You must instead create this life yourself, with purpose. And the creation process begins when you consciously choose the peers that you will allow into your circle of influence.
Peer Group Selection
When selecting a new group of people that you would like to make a part of your life, it’s important to ask yourself the following set of questions:
What people do I most identify with?
Who do I enjoy socializing with?
How will I seek out these people?
Where do these kinds of people normally hang out?
How will I gain their interest?
How will I keep their interest?
How will I develop long-term relationships with them?
The people you identify with most are people who share similar goals, interests, and passions. These are the people who will understand your wants, needs and desires better than anyone else. As such, these are the kinds of people you should openly welcome into your life.
While taking into consideration the kinds of people that you would like to bring into your life, it’s often helpful that these people have similar beliefs and values that you currently have or that you would like to uphold. These people might also have certain knowledge, experience or skills that you would like to develop within yourself. Getting to know these people will put you in their world and will help you to gain insights into how they think, decide and do things throughout the day. However, most importantly seek out people who have higher standards than you. These are the kinds of people who expect more of themselves than you ever expected of yourself. This is helpful because it will encourage you to raise your own personal standards and expectations moving forward.
Once you have these people in your life, it’s important to support the growth and development of these relationships in the long-term. It’s much like watering a garden. A garden needs water to grow just as much as relationships need love and attention to grow. It’s therefore paramount that you focus on building your relationships on a deep emotional level. Likewise, it’s also important to give just as much — if not more — into the relationship then you take out of the relationship. This will help build strong foundations for long-lasting friendship.
When all is said and done it’s, of course, important that you maintain your independence. Yes certainly, use the positive influence that these people have had in your life in a helpful way. However, in the end, make your own decisions. And to make your own decisions it’s important that you understand where you’re going and what you will need along that journey.
The people you have in your life right now might be good for now. However, as your energies grow apart, it’s important that you don’t try and hold onto those relationships — for both your sakes. Don’t allow this person to hold you back, just as much as you shouldn’t allow yourself to hold back the other person. Allow yourselves to grow apart naturally. Don’t resist. New relationships will blossom just as old relationships wither away. Allow this to happen, and just keep moving forward. Have your end-goal in mind and make decisions that are in your best interests, in the best interest of others, and serve the greater good of all concerned.
Overcoming Peer Influence
If you are susceptible to the influence of others, then there are certain things you can do that will help you to think more independently. Independence, of course, doesn’t mean that you will no longer allow yourself to be influenced by others. Being influenced by others in a positive way can be very helpful. It’s the negative and unhelpful influences that you must avoid.
By becoming an independent thinker you are giving yourself a choice. You can choose whether or not others will influence your choices, decisions and actions, and to what extent they will influence you. That is the key to independence, and that is exactly how you will win your freedom from perceptual influences.
Peer Influence Analysis Questions
Before you go through the following set of suggestions that will help you to become a more independent thinker, consider for a moment your social circle of friends, colleagues, family members and other people who influence you on a daily basis, and ask yourself:
Who is within my social sphere of influence?
How have these people influenced my emotions, habits, self-talk, beliefs and choices over the years?
How have these people influenced my opinions and attitude about life? About myself? About others?
What have these people got me doing, saying, thinking, reading and listening to on a daily basis?
Is all this acceptable?
Is all this aligned with the goals and objectives I would like to achieve?
Am I becoming the person I want to become as a result of these influences?
Most likely these are questions you probably never before considered asking yourself. However, by asking these questions now, you are opening yourself up to a world of possibilities, opportunity, new perspectives, and change. And what’s left is for you to develop the necessary motivation to begin making positive changes in your life. And to do this, you must work with the pain-pleasure principle by asking yourself:
What are the negative consequences of these influences?
What will my life be like in the future if I continue to allow myself to be influenced in this way? How will that feel?
What could my life be like if I successfully overcome these influences starting today? How will that feel?
How must things change?
How must I change?
How must I begin changing things today?
Change rests securely in your hands. It’s simply up to you to instigate this change. And you can begin doing exactly that by incorporating some of the following suggestions.
Study the Consequences of Your Decisions
The best way to identify the influence that others have in your life is to study the consequences of what they have you thinking, saying and doing on a daily basis.
Every choice and decision you make has a set of consequences. If you are making these choices and decisions independently without the influence of others, then you can acknowledge full responsibility for your life. However, if you are allowing others to direct these choices and decisions for you, then your life rests in their hands.
If at any time you feel that someone has forced a choice upon you, then immediately ask yourself:
What will this inevitably mean to me?
Is this choice taking me towards my desired life, or is it pulling me away from my desired life? How?
What’s the opportunity cost here?
The decision you are about to make will either take you closer to your desired destination, or it will pull you away from that destination. And every time you are pulled away from your destination there is an opportunity cost. You are choosing one direction over another direction — leading to lost opportunities that you might never get back.
In the past, you might never have contemplated the consequences of such decisions. However, when you become an independent thinker, you will begin understanding that every decision you make will either take you forward or pull you backward. And with this awareness, you can begin making more optimal choices and decisions in your life.
Question Your Personal Assumptions
There are certain things you accept without question. These are your assumptions. They are the things you believe to be true without fully understanding the circumstances or situation.
You initially have opinions about things. You formulate these opinions based on what you see or read, or upon what people do or say. In fact, many of your opinions might be a result of a combination of things others have told you. However, as we all know, opinions are only perspectives. They only form one of many possibilities. They are based on very limited evidence and proof. However, we often build our lives upon the foundations of our opinions without ever questioning the validity of the assumptions we are making about ourselves, about others and about life in general.
When you begin questioning your assumptions you immediately step out from under the umbrella of peer influence. No longer do you accept things as they are. Instead, you question opinions, you question the facts, and you question the circumstances. Things are no longer just one way. All of a sudden there are an endless array of possibilities lying before you. And as a result, life has more meaning because you are not tied-in to thinking one way about something. You have now expanded your horizons, and this means that you will no longer accept another person’s opinion or perspective without question. You will instead question the validity of everything you hear and of everything that other people tell you. Moreover, you will consciously interpret what everything means, and whether or not holding this perspective is in your best interests. If not, then you will choose another perspective because it serves your greater good.
Clarify Your Core Values
It’s very easy to fall under the influence of others if you have absolutely no idea what truly matters most to you. As such, it’s absolutely critical that you spend some time clarifying your core values.
Your core values are very much like your priorities for life. They are the things that matter most to you, and as such, they should influence every decision you make and action you take. However, if you are not aware of your core values, then you fall prey to living other people’s values. And other people’s value might not serve your best interests.
To avoid this trap, it’s absolutely paramount that you clarify what it is you value most in life. These values will help direct your choices and decisions throughout the day, and as a result, you will be less likely to fall prey to the influence of other people’s perspectives and opinions. Moreover, you will live with a sense of purpose and direction that will help you to become a more independent thinker.
Clarify Your Personal Standards
In order to step out of the shadow that other people cast upon you, it’s absolutely vital that you clarify your personal standards.
Your personal standards are simply expectations that you have of yourself within certain life roles and situations. They are in some ways small targets that you set for a variety of life scenarios that provide you with the feedback you need to gauge how things are going.
You either set these standards yourself, or you allow others to set them for you. If you allow others to set them for you, then you are not living your own life. And as a result, you will most likely live a very miserable and sad existence trying to live up to other people’s standards and expectations.
In order to avoid falling into this trap, you must take the time to set your own personal standards and expectations. Determine in your own mind the things that you will accept and the things you won’t accept. It doesn’t matter if these standards are lower or higher than the standards that others have set for you. All that matters is that you personally set them. And then every single day live up to these personal standards irrelevant of what other people say and/or expect of you.
Focus on What You Want
When you’re under the influence of others, you will often focus on what other people want and expect from you. Everything you do is for the benefit of others. And you essentially become a “people pleaser”. You never focus on your own life and on your own goals, you instead focus all your attention on making sure that you look good in the eyes of others. Yes, of course, you might have goals that you are working towards. However, the main reason you are working towards these goals is because you’re trying to please others. Therefore, this goal isn’t what you really want, it’s rather what you think you want.
To avoid this trap, you must begin by clarifying your life’s purpose. However, you must clarify your life’s purpose independently of other people. Yes, of course, your life’s purpose might involve other people, however, it must be of your own making, and not a life purpose that others have built for you.
You must take responsibility for your life’s purpose, and you must take accountability for working towards this destination.
Once you’ve clarified your life’s purpose, take time to set a specific set of goals that will help you fulfill that purpose. Only then will you have the foundations you need to become a more independent thinker. No longer will other people’s goals and objectives sidetrack you. You now have a sense of purpose of your own and a destination you are working towards. And as long as you keep this destination at the forefront of your mind, then you are unlikely to be influenced by other people who are only looking out for their own best interests.
Seek Out Diversity
When you seek out diversity, you are at that moment opening yourself up to a world of variety — to a world of unique perspectives, experiences, knowledge, people, and circumstances. And the more access you have to this diversity of things, the more you understand about the world, the more you understand about others, and the more you understand about yourself. And as a result, you begin thinking more critically about the events and circumstances of your life.
Likewise you begin thinking more critically about other people’s perspectives and opinions. No longer are things just one way. Things can be many different ways. And as such, one person’s opinion no longer holds power over you. It’s no longer about this one opinion, but rather a collective opinion you have formed about things as a result of the diversity you have encountered throughout your life.
Value Your Personal Time
To value your personal time means that you understand what’s most important. It means living with a sense of purpose, following your core values, and having concrete goals in place that you are consistently working towards. It means no longer playing other people’s pawn. You now make your own choices and decisions based on your life’s highest priorities.
Seek Out Leadership Roles
Leaders are decision makers. They are the people who set the goal and put a plan of action in place. Then they make sure that the plan is brought to fruition through consistent effort over time.
When you are a leader, you become the decision-maker. Yes, you listen to other people and take their opinions and perspectives into consideration. However, in the end, the decision is ultimately yours to make. You are the one responsible for the decision, and you are the one accountable for the consequences of that decision. Whether or not mistakes are made, you have the final word on everything that needs to get done to achieve the end goal.
Leadership is an opportunity. It’s an opportunity for you to be center stage and make the tough independent decisions that will move things forward. Therefore, in order to overcome peer influence, encourage yourself to take-on leadership roles and positions. You might, for instance, choose to coach a junior sports team, or to take a dance class, or to become a project manager for a small task at work. It doesn’t really matter what you decide to do, as long as you put yourself into a leadership position.
Over time as you gain more experience working from a leadership position, you will most likely find that you are far less susceptible to peer influence than you once were.
Develop Key Skills
There are certain skills you can develop over time that will help you handle peer influence far more effectively. Skills such as assertiveness training, public speaking, and networking skills can provide you with tremendous confidence while interacting with others.
When you’re more assertive you are more likely to express your own personal opinion about things. When you have skills as a public presenter, you put yourself in the spotlight and become a teacher, educator or entertainer of sorts. This naturally places you in a leadership role and puts you in a position of authority. Finally, when you develop your networking skills, you learn more about human nature, psychology, and behavior. This skill will help you better understand other people’s motives, and with greater awareness of other people’s psychological tendencies, you will be less susceptible to their influence.
Find Positive Role Models
Positive role models are people who share your beliefs, values, and aspirations. They are the people who can help you become the person you seek to be, and they are the people who will inspire you to become an independent thinker.
You will often find these kinds of people in the real world. However, you will also find role models in books or in film. As such, they can be real people or simply characters developed in someone’s imagination.
Role models are nothing more than idealized versions of the person you seek to become. Therefore learn all you can about them and embrace them into your life with an open heart and mind. One way or another their influence will touch your life in a positive way.
Time to Assimilate these Concepts
Did you gain value from this article? Is it important that you know and understand this topic? Would you like to optimize how you think about this topic? Would you like a method for applying these ideas to your life?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I’m confident you will gain tremendous value from using the accompanying IQ Matrix for coaching or self-coaching purposes. This mind map provides you with a quick visual overview of the article you just read. The branches, interlinking ideas, and images model how the brain thinks and processes information. It’s kind of like implanting a thought into your brain – an upgrade of sorts that optimizes how you think about these concepts and ideas. 🙂
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Gain More Knowledge…
Here are some additional links and resources that will help you learn more about this topic:
- 7 Tips to Handle Naysayers @ Personal Excellence
- 9 Warning Signs You’re in Bad Company @ Marc and Angel
- All About Peer Pressure @ FAQs.org
- Change Your Friends, Change Your Life @ The Change Blog
- How to Get a New Circle of Friends @ The Bridgemaker
- How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others @ The Positivity Blog
- How Social Influence is Getting a Lot More Social @ Inc.
- Peer Pressure has a Positive Side @ Scientific America
- Stop Worrying What Others Think! @ Pick the Brain
