Choices: Influences

Happy St David's Day! (Confession: I thought that February had 29 days this year as opposed to only 28, so I scheduled today's post as being the final Wednesday of Feb's series... Sorry!!! However, [spoiler alert] March's series, which'll start next Wednesday, is called Meet The United Kingdom (Plus Ireland). Each week I'll do a profile of one country in the UK+Ireland, as it's both St David's Day (Wales) and St Patrick's Day (Ireland) this month.)

Anyways, ignoring my poor counting/planning, on with February's final post! Today's is all about choosing influences in your life.



Rachel's Challenge (which I've mentioned a few times before) is a set of five personal 'challenges' for you to undertake. My favourite of these is number three: Choose Positive Influences. In our lives, we are influenced by an endless list of things; news, friends, the internet, social conventions, etc to name just a few. We don't choose whether or not we see some of these things in our lives, but we can choose how they affect us.

I personally think that taking time to reflect on your life and the things that make it up is essential. We need to analyse what's going on in your lives so that we can keep the good stuff, and better/remove the bad. One big aspect of this which can be very difficult is friendships. Some friendships are harmful and toxic, and may be changing you for the worse or withholding you from being the best you can be. It's a cliché, I know, but there's a reason for that - it's true. If you have someone in your life who you don't wanting your life, then remove yourself from them. If they're holding you back or changing you into something you don't want to be, then your'e under no obligation to keep spending time with them.

My personal influences that I choose everyday are Rachel herself, my best friends, and God. I take inspiration and instruction from the people who I keep myself around, and sources that I trust and have been proven to be what I want them to be. These choices help to form my ethics and moral code, as well as guide me in dictating how I live every single day. They've helped me more than I can express, and I've changed so much as a person over the past few months that I'm hard recognisable - and I couldn't be happier. Imagine yourself trading places with your current idol - whether that be a celebrity, a friend, or an image you have of yourself. Are you happy? Happier than you are now? Happier than you would be without those influences? Are you making other people happy? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you may want to rethink your idols.

My challenge to you is to consider your personal influences, and if you feel you should, then change them. Remove yourself from the lives of people who put you down. Reach out to people you want to help, or can help you. Stop doing that one thing you hate about yourself. Start doing something productive, something constructive, something good. And be proud of yourself.

15 Quotes

I adore quotes. I sometimes find it difficult to express my thoughts, so I find that quoting other people helps me to articulate my own thoughts, through theirs. Here are my top 15 quotes, some of which I agree wholeheartedly with, some of which I find interesting/amusing, and some of which I simply like, for some reason. Feel free to send me some of your favourite quotes!

15. 'People will never know how far a little kindness can go.' - Rachel Joy Scott (1981-1999)

To begin, here is a quote from my main inspiration in life, Rachel Scott. I love this quote because of the truth of it's implications; one kind deed, even a simple smile, could change someone's entire mindset, even if it's just for an hour, or a day.

14. 'Is there no way out of the mind?' - Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)

Sylvia Plath is one of the greatest poets of all time, and this quote aptly expresses the way I sometimes feel: trapped within the confines of myself. I often feel this way when trying to write but the words just won't come out, or when I am struck speechless with dumbfoundedness.

13. 'To die will be an awfully big adventure.' - J M Barrie (1860-1937)

I have previously spoken about my assurance that death is not to be feared, and this quote accurately sums up my feelings towards the matter; we should not be afraid of something simply because it is unknown.

12. 'I will sooner die than betray my own thoughts.' - Eric Harris (1981-1999)

It worries me how much I relate to this quote from a mass murderer, but I am adamantly dedicated to the truth within my thoughts, I refuse to act in a way that contradicts my moral code and/or my thoughts.

11. 'Non omnis moriar (I will not altogether die).' - Horace (65BC-8BC)

This quote never fails to bring me comfort when I think of my dearly departed friends. People do not altogether die, because we can hear their laughter in a Summer breeze, and feel their warmth in our hearts, and see their smile when we close our eyes. Nobody is ever truly gone. Death is not finite.

10. 'Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.' - Peter Benenson (1921-2005)

There is no use in complaining about injustice, you must act and try to create that hope, create that light, create that justice. There is always hope and there is always light, so you can always eradicate the darkness.

9. '(after online rant entitled 'You Know What I Hate?' detailing the type of people he hates) And sorry if I offended you, but, if I did, that means you are one of the people that I mentioned I hate, so I guess I'm not sorry, you asshole.' - Eric Harris (1981-1999)

Here is another quote from Harris (see 12), however I do not relate to this one. I included this in my list because I find the psychology behind it fascinating. I feel like this quote completely sums up Harris' thoughts leading up to the massacre he caused, and attempting to understand the mind of a killer intrigues me.

8. '(of animals) The question is not 'Can they reason?', nor 'Can they talk?', but 'Can they suffer?'.' - Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)

I love this quote because of how it rings true with myself. This mindset is the main reason that I went vegan, as animals are sentient and have nerve cells, and so can feel pain. To me, the only logical reaction to this knowledge is to not harm them.

7. 'I am large. I contain multitudes.' - Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

If you know me in real life, you'll know I ADORE Whitman. I also adore this quote, because a human being is large, in spirit. Human's are not just one thought, or one belief, or one trait. They are large, they contain multitudes, they can be whomever they aspire to be, and can do whatever they aspire to do.

6. '(when leaving the House of Commons) I wish everyone, friend or foe, well. That is that. The end.' - Tony Blair (1953- )

This is my outlook on life. My aim is to always spread love and joy, no matter to whom. The end.

5. 'Colin is the sort of name you'd give a goldfish for a joke.' - Colin Firth (1960- )

Any readers who go to my college, you'll understand the inside joke ;). Aside from that, and the hilarity of this quote, said quote is important to me, because to me it represents how it is always good to be able to laugh at yourself. For a long time, I couldn't laugh at myself, and my existence was pretty miserable. To poke fun at oneself is to embrace humour and laughter in all walks of life.

4. 'We must be the change we wish to see in the world.' - Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

I couldn't agree more with an insightful quote from a legendary man. We cannot expect things to change if we just sit back and let things happen. We must be the good that we desire.

3. 'I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions.' - Lillian Hellman (1905-1984)

Especially prevalent after the recent hate that has been terrorising the world, this quote is valuable. I have a strict moral code by which I govern my existence, and I refuse to bow to societal standards if I do not feel they meet my ethics. I hate to quote my parents, but just because everyone else is doing something, doesn't mean it's right.

2. 'God moves in mysterious ways.' - William Cowper (1731-1800)

I do not pretend to understand the Lord's workings or reasonings, and this quote sometimes helps to reassure me when I feel my life is going awry. Remember that there is a plan for you, and everything will be alright in the end. Eventually, you will be better off than you are now, you just might have a tough road to get there. That tough road will change you for the better.

1. 'Compassion is the greatest form of love humans have to offer.' - Rachel Joy Scott (1981-1999)

I began with a quote from Rachel Scott, so I'm going to end with one. This quote is so important to me and the way I choose to live my life. I couldn't agree more with it, and I often find myself reminding myself that all I have to do to have a successful day is be compassionate. If you want to be happy, show compassion. If you want others to be happy, show compassion. One simple gesture could start a chain reaction which will blossom into euphoria. Show compassion, and therefore show love.