When my children were little I use to tell them, “Use your own mind! Don’t let anyone else use your mind.” It’s so funny because I remember my mom saying the same thing to me and my sisters when we were children. At the time I didn’t really understand what she meant. I couldn’t understand how you could let anyone else use your mind anyway. A mind is not something you can take out and loan to another. However, when I became a mom, the meaning became much clearer to me. What she was saying was don’t be swayed by negative influences; make good choices based on good information and never do something just because the crowd is doing it. Are you using your own mind or, are you taking your cues from someone else? It’s alright to value the opinions of others, but never substitute their opinion for your own. Know what you think and why you think it. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake because you can only improve if you learn from it. Free yourself, you’ll feel better.