The mind is a very powerful thing, because in a sense it creates our reality. What we think ultimately determines what we can and can not do, as well as what we can and can not see.
"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world."
- Albert Einstein
If one of the smartest persons ever to live said this, perhaps we should think more carefully next time we think? Because according to him, it is our thoughts that create physical concepts and not the power of the external world.
The way I see it is that either we are a mirror of the world or the world is our mirror. That means either we let the world, the environment, and the people around us determine who we are. Or we look deep within and believe in what we want to be, and the world around us will be reflected in our image and adopt itself to our thoughts.
I don't know about you but I think shaping the world is more interesting than constantly being shaped by it. I want to leave some kind of footprint and make sure I mattered in the life time I lived.
Now that doesn't mean I have to become the president of a country, or become a famous athlete or movie star. For me it simply means that I want to be who I am and I want that person to matter to the ones around me.
Having said this I believe that there is nothing more important than being yourself. We might be smart, but we can't trick our mind. If we want something, or want to become something we shouldn't listen to others thoughts, but instead search for our own voice and let it echo until it transcends into the reality we want for ourselves.