February 13, 2022
To my Grade 9 students, I said:
I can walk down the halls, and predict what sort of person you will be when you graduate from Grade 12.
I had their attention.
This prediction is based on the kinds of friends you are choosing. Four years from now, they will have significantly shaped your values, choices and feelings. Your life!
I taught high school for 17 years, and saw this happen again and again.
King Solomon said: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Psychologists are now attributing this to our “mirror neurons” which cause us to imitate what we see in others. And teens are not the only ones! (Ever been with someone who yawns, and you start to yawn too?)
Jim Rohn gave a practical perspective about this issue:
Give some people (toxic folks for whom you don't have
obligations) no association.
Give some people (toxic ones with whom you have family or business responsibilities) limited association.
Give other people (the wise ones) expanded association.
Ask yourself some questions to evaluate these associations:
What do they laugh at?
What do they watch/play on screen?
How do they spend their money and time?
How do they treat other people?
Do I want to be like them in these areas?
