When I was young the thing that always got me into trouble was following the crowd, trying to fit in even when I knew what I was doing was wrong. I wanted respect and to be accepted by my peers, and the search for that acceptance and respect lead me down a long path of poor decisions that I now regret. If my friend stole something from a store, I’d steal something too. If my friend lied to his mom to stay out a little bit later, I’d lie to mine as well. The problem with being a follower, someone who goes with whatever the crowd is doing, is that 10-15 years down the road those poor choices have piled high and you end up looking in the mirror wondering how things might have been had you just chosen a little more wisely.

I encourage everyone out there, no matter your age or situation, to be you and don’t worry about what the crowd is doing. Your path is the one that matters. Your path is the one in which you should protect at all times and take pride in. If you do that, and if you make an effort to do things the right way, good things will happen.

James