Self identity is everything to a person. It tells you who you are and what you should be doing. If it is true identity, it should expand, not limit, youy. It should lift you, not bring you down. It should make you better, not worse. The sad thing, though, is that more often than not, you do not know or want to know yourself. From chidlhood, you identify with your parents anf if no sufficient encouragement or opportunity is given, you later on assu,e th identity of your peers, depending on who have the stronger influence. You may grow into maturity, never even knowing your own unique potentials and therefore, never reaching them.
Self identity is not whose child you are, where you were born, what your qualities are. It is the ultimate information about you. It is the record of who placed you in this universe and why, and how far you are responding to that destiny.You may be the child of the very famous or wealthy parents, you may have many outstanding friends, you may be a decorated student. But if you do not know your true and ultimate identity in the world, everything else you think you know is useless and empty. All that information must be based on, and draw its significance only from, your fundamental identity as a creature of an Unseen, mighty and loving creator.
Each person wants to belong. That sense of belonging is a powerful identifier. You behave according to who and what you feel ( or have accepted that) you are, and according to how your peers expect you to behave. But what your self reactions tells you are not always true. These self reactions are only your responses to situations of hurt, rejection and frustration, not your objective mind revealing the truth that lies inside, but buried in these dynamic self reactions. Maybe you didn’t even know there is a difference between your self reactions and the truth that is in you. You didn’t know you could be much better and do much better.
Your peer’s opinion is compelling at this age. It is especially at this time that you need support, guidance an a feeling of being accepted. Your peers seem to give you these at this all important stage, and only because they themselves are going through the same experience, Now, realize that. But if your peers are as much in the dark about what to do, where to go and how, then getting directions from them is like the blind leading the blind. You should know better than depend on them for wisdom.
You want to study effectively and succeed as a student so that you will be a success in adulthood. If your peers have this same desire, you will encourage and support one another. But if they are not as motivated and decided as you, they are likely to reduce or delay your success.
Meanwhile, you must continue wrestling with your own enemies within; the innate tendency of human nature towards idleness. That fight is something you must put up with at every waking moment. One pause and you lose. You are waing a steep war with nature, where giving up is easier than fighting on and discouragement abound around you.
When you look out of yourself on the other hand, you find lazy or indifferent friends battling against your desire to perform diligently in class. They think you are corny. They make fun out of your struggles and your principles. And your sense of belonging ( to your peers) is thus threatened.
It boils down to your having two invincible forces within and without tha of giving up out of exasperation or sheet fatigue and that of taking a risk of turning your peers off and losing your self identity thtis grafted to theirs.
