CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY

People you hang out with often are people you admire and respect. Your day-to-day activities are influenced to some extent by them. They are part of your support system who offers you support when times get rough. However, whether you realize it or not, you are in some ways mimicking how these individuals talk, dress, move, what they do, and what decisions they make. Additionally, these people mirror your actions, behaviours, and decisions without consciously realizing it. This process is called psychological modelling and is important because as you mirror others, you start to reflect their ideas, and as you reflect their ideas, you also adopt their perspectives, their values, and their philosophy of life.  Your closest friends have a profound impact on your life – whether you are conscious of it or not.  Choose wisely as you become somewhat like them. It is therefore important to reflect from time to time on how other people impact your life because in some regards you are mirroring their behaviour and psychological tendencies. It’s all fine and well if you’re mostly spending your time with motivated, inspiring, positive, caring and goal-oriented individuals. What if you usually spend your time with people who are pessimistic, angry, and unmotivated? How are these people influencing your daily actions, decisions and choices?  How much influence will these people have on your life?

Dr Ora Marx