Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
When we hear the phrase “environment”, our mind immediately goes to our immediate environment and what’s in it. So, naturally, we start picturing the houses, cars, garden, parks, cycle paths, walking paths, streetlights, trees and e.t.c.
All these are part of your environment but your real environment is much more than the objects and plants. Your real environment is the people in your society and the way they behave.
What am trying to convey to you is that your environment includes your dad, mum, sister(s), brother(s), wife, husband, uncle, aunty, niece, nephew, cousin, girlfriend, boyfriend, work colleague, political leader, employer, trainer and e.t.c.
Everyone you come in contact with on a regular basis; be it in real life or digitally, forms part of your environment. This means those people you watch on TV’s are also part of your environment.
The strangest thing about environment is that it is a collection of people and their behaviours, and it controls us without making it clear explicitly that it wields so much power over us.
Environment
Our normal reaction to environment is to act, think and talk and to conduct ourselves and all of our affairs like the people by whom we are habitually surrounded. – Earl Nightingale.
The people whom we are habitually surrounded by are our environment and these people control our actions, thinking process and the way we conduct our affairs without we even realizing that this is going on. This is powerful stuff.
If you read the quote by Earl Nightingale above, you would notice that although the people by whom we are habitually surrounded by; never actually instruct us to act, think or conduct our affairs like them, still, somehow we still copy their actions.
You are the average of the people 5 people you are habitually surrounded by. You are the average in physical height, earning power, social status and education level of the 5 people by whom you are habitually surrounded by. This is so accurate that it’s really frightening.
Why do we as individuals with our own unique characteristics and traits; “act, think and talk and conduct ourselves and all of our affairs like the people by whom we are habitually surrounded.”? Why do we do that? We conform.
Conformity
The English dictionary defines conformity as “to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group”.
As kids growing up, we develop the need to be loved by our friends. This desire to be loved and accepted by our friends never dwindle, instead, it grows bigger and bigger as we grow older.
So naturally, we develop the ability to fit in and the only way to fit in is to “to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes and practices”. This is how we conform.
From our desire to be loved and accepted by our peers we end up conforming. There are many problems with conformity but the two notable ones are that:
(1) We end up being a people pleaser but deeply unhappy on the inside.
(2) We restrict our growth to the limit of those we are conforming to.
Conformity has a spiritual aspect to it too. Have you ever heard the quote “That Which Is Like Unto Itself Is Drawn” from Esther Hicks?
This means that you and the 5 people with whom you spend most of your time with are operating at the same frequency spiritually.
In fact, you are alike. This is why you can easily spend hours upon hours with them without ever feeling unease about it. You will always be drawn towards those things and people that are like you.
Those things and people whom you conform to; moulds your life philosophy and it is your life philosophy which dictates your actions and your actions determine your life results. This is the primary reason you should always surround yourself with the type of people you want to become and the things you want to acquire and achieve in life.
But what if your immediate environment is a hell-hole? What if the people in your society are nothing to aspire to? What if the type of people you want to become are thousands of miles away from you? What if, if you are an introvert that wants to become a particular type of person but you are too shy to make a friend with this type of person in real life?
Well, my dear reader, you are in luck because the next section of this article is the “Cheat Sheet” on how someone like you can spend time with the type of person who he or she wants to become.
Environment and Conformity Cheat Sheet
I was listening to Bob Proctor on his YouTube channel when he said something really interesting. He said when he found the “Lead The Field” tapes by Earl Nightingale, that he kept playing them every day. There was no day that went by that he (Bob Proctor) didn’t play those “Lead The Field” tapes.
When he (Bob Proctor) said this I immediately remembered the quote by Earl Nightingale about Environment and Conformity – “Our normal reaction to environment is to act, think and talk and to conduct ourselves and all of our affairs like the people by whom we are habitually surrounded.”
You see, when Bob Proctor started listening to those Lead The Field tapes, he was spending time with Earl Nightingale. The more time he spent listening to those tapes, the more he starts to think and reason just like Earl Nightingale.
So, over time, the life philosophy of Earl Nightingale became the life philosophy of Bob Proctor. He (Bob Proctor) began to see things exactly as Earl Nightingale would see them.
What Bob Proctor did is the cheat-sheet to becoming the person you want to become but I don’t believe that Bob Proctor was aware of this when he was listening to those tapes.
So here is the cheat-sheet for you to change your environment to the one that saves your purpose: whoever you want to become, find every digital and physical product from that person and consume them (Listen, watch and read).
If for example, you want to think and reason like Warren Buffet, find every book, videos and audios by Warren Buffet. Surround yourself with his products, ideology and voice recordings.
Consume contents from him daily. If you can do this, you will notice something strange and powerful; gradually your behaviour towards money will start to change. Within 2 years of you doing things, you will notice that your income has increased substantially and that your life philosophy and that of Warren Buffet is completely identical. Do it for 5 years, and you will likely become a millionaire.
I used Warren Buffet as an example but am sure you have a person in mind whom you aspire to become or emulate. Find every digital and physical content from this person and about this person and consume them daily for the rest of your life. This is your cheat-sheet to mould your environment in the manner that’s beneficial to you.
Conclusion
Make no mistake about this, your environment moulds your life philosophy and your life philosophy dictates your actions and your actions determine the results you are currently getting in life.
We live in a digital age. You don’t have to spend time with people whose life is nothing to aspire to when you can easily make friends with the Tony Robbins of this world and completely transform your life into awesomeness.
My life began to change when I stumbled upon one of Bob Proctor YouTube videos. The more I listened to him, the more his message affected my thinking and the way I see things. I kept coming back to those videos because something in me was seeking the truth and for the first time I was hearing this truth. The more I spent time listening to his messages the more I see things just as he does. There is still a long way to go but am sure am on the right part.
What am trying to say is that I changed my environment to the one that serves my life mission. Since we live in a digital age, my digital friends now include Tony Robbins, Bob Proctor, Earl Nightingale (Late), Wallace D. Wattles (Late), Prentice Mulford (Late) and e.t.c.
These people, though I have never met them in real life and some of them are dead, their messages are now part of my life philosophy and their messages have dramatically improved the results am getting in life.
You too can do just like me. You don’t have to saddle yourself with your immediate environment. Find the people who you aspire to become and then consume all their message on a daily basis. Doing this will change your life. I guarantee it.
I hope you’ve found this article useful in one way or the other. If you know anyone who might find it useful, please be kind enough to share it with them using the share buttons at the top of this article. Please also share it on your social media pages. Someone might find it helpful.
Also, you are free to use this article for teaching. All I asked for is to be properly referenced.
Have a wonderful day.
Mr Ben.