Good day, dear student! Phew, it's been quite a break. We intended to start us on a series focused on Career Guidance, this February, but based on a redirection from God, we will continue in this series on wrong habits you need to fight as a secondary school student.
These wrong habits are what we have termed "Vices". January saw us expose certain common wrong habits that make us fall short in our academics: the academic vices. If you love your academics, please take heed and avoid these vices in order to be pleasing to God. Read our January series starting from this article.
Now, to the social vices; the vices that influence and are influenced by your relationships with others - your peers, classmates, older people, younger people, and so on. Today, we will talk a bit about peer pressure. Let's dive in!
Picture this: a tense courtroom. A teenager, handcuffed, scar on his cheek, regret written all over his face. The judge asks for his final words. With tears rolling down, he whispers: “All of this is because I let Tade and Bade lure me into alcoholism and violence. How I long for those days of my innocence!” That’s peer pressure in action.
What Peer Pressure Really Is
Peer pressure is when people your age push you to act or think like them. Sometimes, peer influence can be positive—maybe your friends love reading, so you start picking up books too. But peer pressure usually drags you into choices you know are wrong.
Let’s be real: we all want to fit in, look cool, and be part of the “in crowd.” But here’s the big question: at what cost? Is it worth risking your future just to impress people who might not even be there when things go wrong?
How Can One Beat Negative Peer Pressure?
1. Know your values
If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Decide what matters to you—your faith, your goals, your principles—and stick to them. Let mentors, good books, and positive influences shape your values.
2. Choose your circle wisely
Birds of the same feather flock together. Surround yourself with people who respect your values and push you to grow. The wrong crowd can drag you down faster than you think. Your social media circle is something one ought to be careful of. Negative influence from social media is becoming more and more significant these days, and we ought to watch it! Not everyone or every trend is worth following on social media.
3. Flex your “No” muscle
Saying no doesn’t make you uncool—it makes you strong. It shows you have a mind of your own. Practice it until it feels natural, because integrity is way cooler than regret.
4. Own your life
At the end of the day, your choices are yours. No one else will face the consequences for you. Your life is personal—don’t hand the steering wheel to someone else.
Dear friends, remember this: your life is in your hands. Following the crowd into wrong choices might look fun now, but it often ends in regret. Be the one who stands out for the right reasons.
Choose your company wisely. Learn to say no. And never forget—you’re stronger than peer pressure.
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