I’ve recently had the occasion to meet Jan Napier, a licensed social worker, who taught me something that is very helpful and, now that I think of it, true to my experiences.
“Life is all about people-places-things,” says Jan. “The people and places around you lead you to the things you do. If you want to change the things you are doing, you need to change the people you hang with and change the places you go.”
Jan’s right. Peer pressure and environment are very influential. Peer pressure has a bad reputation, but it doesn’t always lead us astray. The right peers in the right places can lead us to a better life. (Peer pressure led me to college.) If you give blood/shop/smoke/read — then you are probably hanging out with nurses/consumers/smokers/readers at Red Cross/Nordstrom/outside/libraries.
Do you like the things you are doing? If not, change the people and the places. The things will follow.