How to Be Immune to Peer Pressure

HOW TO BE IMMUNE TO PEER PRESSURE

If you look at a list of the most common regrets that people have on their deathbeds, the biggest regret of all is living the life that others wanted them to instead of the life that they truly wanted to.

One of the biggest reasons that people have trouble sticking to a healthy diet and lifestyle is ultimately because of "peer pressure", so I would like to talk about peer pressure and how to be immune to it while on a personal "health journey".

1. PEER PRESSURE TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE

My dad and his dad both had heart attacks and strokes and had to have major heart surgeries during their lives, and not only did my mom get cancer, but both of her parents died from cancer before I was even born.

Most doctors would probably look at my family history and tell me that cancer and heart disease "runs in my family" and that there isn't much that I can do about that other than getting regular checkups and hoping and praying that a cure will be discovered.

But I realize that my parents' lifestyle choices played a big role in their health, and that if I live a healthier lifestyle than they did I should be able to greatly reduce my chances of ending up with the health problems that they had.

"Genetics loads the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger"
- Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn

And considering that the average person is overweight, has about a 50% chance of getting heart disease, about a 50% chance of getting cancer, about a 40% chance of getting diabetes, and an almost 0% chance of going through life without getting some kind of serious health problem that will require drugs or surgery, please realize that you are going to have to do something different than the average person if you don't want to end up like the average person.

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
- Unknown

If you are trying to change your life for the better, but the people around you are trying to tempt you back to the "dark side" by pressuring you to eat, drink, or smoke something that you know full well is bad for your body, just remember the following...

2. PEER PRESSURE TO ATTEND SOCIAL EVENTS

When people get invited to social events like weddings, birthday parties, graduations, etc, these "invitations" are actually "obligations" for a lot of people, because it would be too hard for them to simply say "No thank you."

When you go on a health journey, you will likely develop a routine / rhythm / flow where you eat, workout, and sleep at the same times every day and you will likely love the results that you are getting because of this consistency and devotion. But when people who aren't on your "health journey" try to get you to break your routine so you can spend time with them doing something that isn't healthy or that you don't really want to do you feel peer pressure to do what they want you to.

If there are any famous artists that you admire, try to imagine how many times they probably said "No thank you" to invitations over the years so they could work on their craft instead.

It is often said that it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to master an art, so if it is your dream to be an artist, or if you want to master the art of "clean living" and become the healthiest version of yourself, you may need to get accustomed to saying "No thank you" to things that require a lot of your time and that you don't really want to do.

People who knew you back when you weren't on a health journey might not like it if you change and become a different person (even if it is a change for the better) and they might even try to convince you that it's "selfish" to want to spend lots of time working on yourself, but please consider the following...

3. CONNECT WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE

If you don't know anyone else who is on this diet and lifestyle and it feels "lonely" at times, keep in mind that there are countless other people out there who are also following this diet and lifestyle and who are eager to connect with like-minded people online.

I made this website to help promote this diet and lifestyle, and I now get e-mails and friend requests from like-minded people all over the world just because they found my website and wanted to connect with me. (And I've even got to meet some of these people in real life.)

If this diet and lifestyle ever feels isolating to you due to the fact that the average person isn't doing it or because the media is trying to get you to do something different, I would encourage you to start connecting with like-minded people by joining online groups and engaging in online conversations, or by even starting a website or a YouTube channel if that is what you feel like doing, and to find as many ways as you can to participate and be an active member of this growing movement so that we can all come together and help each other live the lives that WE have chosen.

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