When peer pressure overtakes common sense

Call it vacillating, giving in, selling you soul, or just plain retreating. Whatever you call it, when you behave thusly, you won't feel good about yourself for it. And I'm not saying that retreating from a situation doesn't have a place in your life, it does. Sometimes it's wiser to go along or retreat, but if you make this behavior a way of life, you simply won't have one of your own choosing. To put it visually, you'll always be in the passenger seat, and that's not the way to get where you want to go.

Before the 'feminist' movement, this submissive attitude was taught from mother to daughter: "Know your place," Don't be difficult." "Don't make waves." "Be nice." "You want to be liked, don't you?" Those words took their toll. Years of observing this behavior and hearing the words couldn't be expected to change attitudes and way of life in a generation or two or four.. Humans just don't do: "Do as I say and not as I do," well.

To make real behavior and attitude changes, humans need to witness the success that one can achieve by being assertive--- by being their own person and still caring about other human beings. So if you can't find such a person, one who truly marches to her own drummer without tramping on the whole parade, maybe it's up to you? Get out of the passenger seat and into the drivers' seat. Others need to follow your style. The only thing you have to lose is that constant feeling of frustration.