Life can indeed become very difficult. But no matter what, it is so important to follow what you yourself believe. Follow what you believe, even when it is hard.
Everyone does not believe the same things. This is true when it comes to many aspects of life: religion, work ethic, socialization, love, etc. you name it.
However, there are several reasons you should always continue to follow what you believe.
First and foremost, when choosing to follow what others believe rather than what you yourself do, you not only lose what makes you unique, but you also are not showing true value to your core beliefs.
In following your core beliefs, you are building up your self-confidence. Whatever you hope to achieve, there will be obstacles, and often many of them, that you will face. The only way to get through them is by being confident enough in yourself to believe that you can and will.
In my room I have a piece of artwork with one of my fundamental beliefs on it, and that is that, "Your Only Limit is You". This speaks to the confidence that must come from within where you believe in your abilities and all the wonderful things that you are capable of.
By continuing to follow what you believe, you are now one step closer to accomplishing what you have set out and intend to do. Sure this step may seem small in comparison to the great feats left to undertake; however without accomplishing this step, your given path my seem more clear.
Finally, following what you believe will not always be easy. But when you make the decision to keep faith in your beliefs, you are choosing to keep fighting rather than give up when faced with hard times because you know the strength of your beliefs is being put to the test.