Your environment does not define you or what you can become. People allow something so simple to direct their life into a negative spiral. You can become anything you want and you can do anything you want. Allowing your environment to steer your life isn’t a great choice, but some people fall into that excuse. You have the power to change it.
I hear people all the time talk about how rough they had it growing up. Every time they tell the story, it gets more dramatic. Yes, there are people who actually did grow up in a rough neighborhood or had a childhood that was shaped by their parents mistakes. This does not excuse the fact that you have control over the path you will take to make your better life.
Growing up, we all had to live under our parents or a guardian. If your parents/guardians are doing things you know are wrong, you don’t have to do it. If they did drugs, you don’t have to do drugs. If they mistreated people, you don’t have to mistreat people. If they were full of hate, you don’t have to be full of hate. There is a such thing as learned behavior, but just because you were in that negative environment doesn’t mean you have to accept it into your life.
We all deal with choices everyday. Sometimes we make good choices, sometimes we make bad choices. You have the power to choose your way out of your environment. School may be boring, but don’t skip class to hang with the bad crowd. In the heat of an argument, she may be tempting you to do it, but don’t put your hands on that young lady. Walk away from your ‘friends’ who are planning to commit a crime. These choices are yours to make. You won’t always get a second chance, so do it right the first time.
Whether you are young or old, your decisions are what makes your future what it becomes. Life does happen, but you still have to think for yourself and make good decisions for good results. There are plenty of older people who will tell you to ‘slow down’ or ‘don’t do what I did’. They are saying that for a reason. They know – they have lived and suffered the consequences, or witnessed someone who did. Sometimes, we are just too smart for our own good and think we know better than the wino on the street. He may be talking gibberish and smell like hot garbage, but if he tells you NOT to do something, you should probably listen.
I say all of that, to say this – design your own life. It is your responsibility to shape your reality and to motivate others to do the same. Be that hope for someone else. As a child, you may have had a little hesitation or some restrictions, but as an adult, you can make your life into what you want it to be. Even if you did grow up in a dysfunctional household, you’ve seen enough TV and other examples of the life you want to live. Don’t repeat the disfunction. You have the power to create your own reality. Drink some water. Be better than your environment.