Others will create you if you let them

I've been thinking a lot lately about how friends influence your life. I've had several groups of friends over the years and I think it's safe to say I've learned very different things from all of them.

The statement you are who your friends are could not be more true. Remember in junior high how if your best friend liked something you liked it too? I think during that stage in our life we want to be accepted so badly that we will do almost anything to feel like we fit in. As we get older we begin to realize that it's okay to be different. Others will still like us for who we really are.

It's through these friendships that we begin to create ourselves. We take things that we see that we like and we try to be more like that. We see things we don't like and we try to avoid them.

I never realized how crucial these friendships are until I met someone who hasn't had them. They are suffering from it big time. No one wants to be around them, because they personally aren't stuck in that junior high phase anymore.

I'm lucky to have had the friends I have. I've learned how to be patient, caring, a listener, how to have fun, how to be excited for others, and so many other things. I could never thank all the friends I've had enough for what they've taught me and for helping me become who I am today.

Our friends shape us. The question we have to think about is are they shaping us for the better?