Back in high school, the moment the word “peer pressure” is mentioned it always sends this negative vibes that it has become hard for us to see anything good in having peer pressure. As a matter of fact, I don’t think there is any successful person out there that was able to get to where he or she is without peer pressure. The only difference might be that, they harnessed the gift of having peer pressure in the positive direction. Instead of letting their peer make them feel timid and useless, they made it motivate them to be a better version of themselves.
For this edition of the Hivelearners topic on ”PEER PRESSURE”, we are asked to talk about something positive that peer pressure has impacted our lives with. At first, when I saw this topic, all that came to my mind was all the negative things my peers have made me think of doing and I have even done. But after taking a moment to rethink, now I have a thousand and one things that having peers have pressured me into doing that I’m so grateful for.
There are so many instances when peer pressure can be a blessing but then, it takes so much to see it especially if as a person you always see the negative side of things. Last two years, I did a one year program with a body known as JUPEB (Joint universities preliminary examination board). When I started the program, I met so many people that were way ahead of me in terms of academics and I was both worried and motivated to do more. I had these set of friends that are really good and they helped me get better in those areas that I thought I was done for.
I was not so good at chemistry back then. I struggled with every part of chemistry especially organic chemistry but it will interest you to know that I had my highest grade in chemistry and that was because, my peers were really good at chemistry and that motivated me to put in my mind to learn chemistry more and I did. I was one of my chemistry lecturer’s best student before the program ended. It was as if God sent her to me because I don’t think I would have been able to do well if not for her and other peer pressure.
It was thanks to the experience I had in this program that I was able to see that indeed nothing was impossible, it’s just our minds that limit us and tell us what we should and shouldn’t be. Due to the fear I had for chemistry, since I always struggled with understanding it, I was already scared of not doing well but thanks to those people around me, I saw that it wasn’t so hard after all. I just needed to put my mind to it.
If there was one another thing that experience taught me, it is the fact that we are our own limitation. I limited myself a lot until I stopped and I started seeing changes. I always felt like, since I wasn’t able to understand chemistry in high school, it won’t be any different here but I was wrong. I also learned that it is good to surround yourself with people that will push you to bring out the best in you. Nothing is really hard when you have the right people around you. Without those pressure from left and right, I don’t think most people will see the need to want to do better or even leave their comfort zones.
The fact that I could get one of the best grades in chemistry by the end of that program, it made me realize that I have been holding myself back from so many things and so far so good, I have learnt and improved in some things and I still have more to improve on. Still working on my mindset to remove every single atom of negativity because I know that is where my limitations lie. I have even read a book recently about how the mind works and it was as if the writer was speaking about me and to me.
Peer pressure is a blessing, it only becomes a curse when we are surrounded with the wrong people. As long as the people you are with are those that push you to be more than you think you are, then it is definitely a blessing to have them around but beyond that, these peers make you see the best in yourself and that’s something a lot of people are struggling with today. So when you have them, be grateful and take good advantage of it.
Thank you for reading through. ❤️