Last week I talked about wearing your blinders when focusing on a goal. I thought I’d take it a step further this week… Do you make decisions based on the people around you?  DeeP dOwN did you decide to buy a new car because all your friends and family recently upgraded theirs?  Did you put your kid in t-ball because you felt the pressure from the other parents?  Have you recently felt the need to go on an extreme diet because you bumped into an old classmate that lost a bunch of weight? Whether it is what you buy, the vocation you choose, how you raise your kids, or the way you live your life, we must ask ourselves this question: If I couldn’t see others and what they are doing, would I still be making the same decisions? 

So many times we forget to think on our own because we are heavily influenced by other people.  Doug (my husband) and I talk about this a lot.  In our decison making we have to constantly remind ourselves that, if we didn’t care what others thought, would we still go down the same path? It is in these situations it is important to know yourself. Take buying a home for example.  Would you have purchased your home if you didn’t know what type of home everyone else lived in? Without thinking about it, you went house hunting feeling obligated to want certain things because you knew what other people have.  Even though they weren’t there, the influence talked you into buying an expensive home, and you are left with the stress of keeping up with the payments.

The same applies to peace with food. Are you going to ignore what exercise and foods are best for you, only because everyone else is on the latest workout and diet plan? When you are at a crossroad to make a decision, ask yourself WHO you are doing it for. Like a race horse with blinders on, tune out what’s going on around you and focus on what YOU want.  It isn’t always easy, but living YOUR life will be the ultimate pRiZe when reaching the finish line. 
Take-Home Message: Regardless what everyone else is doing, do what is best for you.