Peer Influence VS Self-fulfilling Prophecy

It is important to be sure that we do not even slightly vary from what we know to be right and wrong - never second guess your own principles to soothe someone else. Doing so would cause you so much guilt that you would begin to internalize it as if you had sinned against them, causing insecurity. That is when people have control over you, that is why peer influence is so powerful, and undoubtedly, the kind of friends you have is so important!

You do not think anything about yourself that someone else spontaneously illuminates for you.

You cannot blame someone else's judgments about you as the reason why you feel insecure and lack confidence. Nobody can convince you to believe anything (about ourselves or other people) that you do not already WANT to believe. Those beliefs which you HAVE but cannot support with facts, when someone presents information, true or false, you tend to use it how your mind feels is best... to support your own theories about the people and the world around you, regardless of how erroneous they might be.

My friend, Barney, has recently brought to light a linguistic fact that bolsters my theory about thoughts: "De-CIDE. The root word 'decidere' means to 'cut off'. [As in] suiCIDE. homiCIDE. patriCIDE. To decide requires a death, and there are no easy decisions. In fact, simple decisions are best called choices. I Kings 18:21 Stop sitting on the fence - make up your mind right now, sir! Fences make you a repeat of the Humpty Dumpty case study."

As I have mentioned before, my own suicidal thoughts have been of this nature - wanting some of my bad traits to die off and other good traits to flourish. Therefore, it is a turning point, a decision in which you assert to ameliorate rather than negate life. Life is full of insecurities - those things you fear you are not good at, those things you are indeed not good at, those things which you desire to be good at but are seemingly not, those which you are good at but cannot perceive it, and those which you are good at that you wish you were not. No person can escape the phenomenon of insecurity, but you can guide it.

If you must be insecure, let it lie in not knowing whether you have spent enough time with your family. If you must be insecure, let it lie in not knowing if you have enjoyed life to its fullest. If you must be insecure, let it lie in not knowing if you have been a good person. If you must be insecure, let it lie in not knowing if you have learned all there is to learn in life. For these insecurities drive you to spend more time with your family, enjoy life even more, be a better person, and cause you to be more apt to learn life's lessons.

Never let your insecurities cause you to adopt the evaluation that another person has of you. Evaluate yourself based on your own ideals, principles, morals, and values. But who can evaluate themselves based on their principles if they do not even know who and what they are? Therefore, KNOW YOURSELF. This kind of knowledge typically comes with maturity, which is why we see so many adolescents with issues concerning self-image and insecurity. Why do we tolerate this? Educate yourself - know yourself - know your principles, your ideals, your morals, and your values - and then STAND on those truths.

Let others' judgments fall around you, but not fall on your ears for that would be a win for the Devil himself, in convincing you that you are not worthy of God's grace and, therefore, would not receive it. In fact, none of us is worthy, and that is the beauty of God's grace - He grants it to those who do not and could never deserve or earn it and asks for nothing in return, save acceptance.