The Small Things That Play A Huge Role

Do you ever sit and ponder over why you are who you are right now and who or where you will

be in the future? Who you are today is a result of all the decisions you’ve made in life up to this

point. Not only are you a result of the decisions you’ve made, but a result of the environment you

grew up in or are growing up in. There are many factors that contribute to your current lifestyle.

While certain things aren’t promised in adulthood, research has shed light on factors that can

anticipate your future. Although the first few years of the average person’s childhood is normally

pretty blurry, the early years and crucial things we encounter during the teen or younger years of

our lives typically stick with us for a while. Most childhood wounds remain with us on into

adulthood which have the potential to cause health issues mentally and even physically. From

how we’re natured to nurtured, many things we encounter during our upcoming influence our

lifestyle.

​The environment you grow up in affects your lifestyle because the people you decide to

surround yourself with typically guide the choices you make. Also, the type of setting you

grow up in is a big factor as well whether its a setting of violence and constant arguments

or peace and tranquility. ​In your lifetime, It’s better to cling onto people that are not only great

as far as personality and respect wise but people that have a mindset for success. People that are

pleasing to your environment and make you happy in the moment aren’t always necessarily the

people you need to keep around. Regardless of how well strengthened you are as an individual,

you are not uninfluenced or unaffected to a constant environment of negative liveliness. A

person’s mindset isn’t always obvious in their demeanor. You should want those around you to

be focused and devoted to a favorable outcome and or success. The company you keep is a major

factor to your lifestyle. Many fail to realize that those you crowd yourself with can easily and

heavily influence your way of thinking. Optimization of your environment is a significant factor

that can have a profound impact on your contentment and well-being. In the words of Simon

Alexander Ong, “Want to be happy? Surround yourself with happy people. Want to be healthy?

Surround yourself with healthy people. Want to become more confident? Surround yourself with

confident people. In essence, we become more like the people we hang out with.”

The friends you keep around have the potential to affect what you end up accomplishing and

gaining in life. Surround yourself with not only a support system but those that are headed for

better things the same way you are. Essentially, it would behoove you to choose your company

carefully.

The people around you could easily play a role into the experiences you have. Experiences are

another thing that affect one’s upcoming.​ ​How we conduct ourselves and respond to certain

situations and events that take place in our lives is typically molded by our experiences. From

our attitudes to expectations, they are all modified due to our experiences. There are many

experiences that have had meaningful effects on who we are. It may take time to realize that it is

not always necessarily the experience that is meaningful but the meaning we appoint to it. The

narrative we determine to believe about the experience is what has the actual effect on us.
The experiences from when we are younger normally have the heaviest impact on us in our

future. Holding onto past situations is like carrying a load of catastrophes. This is what we

usually do because we don’t realize how much potency it has on us in the time to come.

Another reason could be privilege. Privileged and less privileged are most likely to view certain

situations from differing perspectives. They’re most likely brought up in different types of

environments which will most definitely give the two different outlooks on life as a whole.

The privileges you receive can shape a part of who you are. For example, if a person has

financial privileges they’re more likely to attract new friends easily. Privilege can come with

opportunities that the typical person may not be opportuned to. They may have better living

conditions, a variety of education options, easy networking and connections, they may even be

exposed to different settings. Things like this would give someone that had a privileged

upbringing, an easy advantage in life. Typically those that are privileged or those that are

receiving the privilege fail to realize when it’s taking place. Privileged can also undergo

oppression. If a person has grown up with and into a privileged life rather than someone who’s

lifestyle opposes that, their intentions may drastically differ. They’ll value and appreciate things

differently.
In conclusion, the environment you grow up in affects your lifestyle because the simple stuff like

the things you encounter, the people you surround yourself with, and the privileges you have on

a everyday basis typically guide the choices you make. There are many factors that contribute to

the production of our futures. Usually we’re blindsided to certain influences and fail to realize

how much of an impact they can have on people’s lives.

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https://eggsperience.com/past-experiences-impacting-today/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

Lifehacker.com. (2018). ​Life Hacker​. [online] Available at:

https://lifehacker.com/5926309/how-the-people-around-you-affect-personal-success [Accessed 29 Oct.

2018].

Lifehack. (2018). ​Can Your Circle of Friends Influence Who You Are?.​ [online] Available at:

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/can-your-circle-friends-influence-who-you-are.html

[Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

Marshallconnects.com. (2018). ​What influence do your friends have on you? | Blog | Marshall Connects​.

[online] Available at:

https://www.marshallconnects.com/site/corporate-growth-news/2017/06/03/what-impact-do-your-friends-h

ave-on-you [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

Sites.lsa.umich.edu. (2018). ​An Instructor’s Guide to Understanding Privilege – Inclusive Teaching​.

[online] Available at:

https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/inclusive-teaching/2017/08/29/an-instructors-guide-to-understanding-privilege/

[Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].