Perception is Reality & The Company You Keep

When I was a teenager my dad would say, “You are judged by the friends you keep” and none of that made sense at the time.  He would explain, if you hang out with, as he would say, “low lifes” or “druggies” people will automatically assume you are just like them.  That you too must be a “low life” or a “druggie” and I realized he was right!

Perception is reality.  How people perceive you is THEIR reality so it’s important to be mindful of how you are perceived by others.  You might say, “I don’t care what other people think of me” (I said that) but really you do care, or rather, you should care.  I don’t mean that you should be someone else because you are concerned about what people will think but really you should care about the image you are putting out and that includes the people you hang out with.

You see it is everyone’s nature to judge – it is just a fact.  We may say we don’t judge but let’s be honest, we all do, and that means people are judging you.  Teachers, principals, and coaches, they all have an influence on you during this time so if you are hanging out with the wrong crowd, trouble makers, kids who take drugs, they will think the same of you whether or not it is true and they will treat you according to how THEY think you MIGHT behave.

If you ever want to test my theory, watch the Breakfast Club.  It’s a movie from the 80′s (my time) and it will demonstrate exactly what I am saying, we all think one thing or another about people without really knowing it.

What is my point today?  Be mindful.  Be mindful of the company you keep.  Who are your friends?  Why are they your friends?  What do other people think of them?  What do teachers think of them?  Ah, yes, what do your parents think of them?  It may not be fun to listen to your parents, it never was for me, but as I have come to learn – they are often right.  I know, UGH!

Until next time…

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