Staying True

Staying True

Cling to what is good. Romans 12:9, NIV

When I was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the San Francisco 49ers in my third year of professional football, I wasn’t just changing teams; I was changing cultures. I left a relatively small, blue-collar city to go to a relatively large cosmopolitan area, and in the late 1970s, that new city offered more temptations than I had ever experienced. I felt out of place.

Although I wanted to be accepted in San Francisco, I never really considered adopting any bad habits or using drugs. My beliefs and upbringing, as well as my athletic training, dictated against it. But I felt like an outsider because of that, and I wondered if people were watching me.

I later discovered that some guys were watching me, but not because they thought I was strange. One of my teammates had gotten into the drug culture in San Francisco because he thought that was what pro athletes did. But because I had come from a Super Bowl team and didn’t do drugs, it made him feel that he didn’t have to either. He later told me my example may have saved his life.

The familiar line from Hamlet is an important reminder: “To thine own self be true.” Not only will that advice protect us against negative peer pressure, it will also put us in position to affect others through positive peer pressure. We sometimes forget that peer pressure works both ways—that we not only are affected by others, but others are also affected by us. Many people will exert pressure on us to conform, whether they realize that’s what they are doing or not. But we are also in a position to influence them. We can help others make better decisions simply by making decisions that are true to our own convictions.

To do that, you have to know who you are. You need to have a strong sense of your identity and your purpose. When you do, you become an influence on others for good.

Uncommon Key > Peer pressure works in both directions. If you approach things positively, you can grow into a position of influence simply by remaining true to who you are.