Picture yourself in the stereotypical dreaded gym class. Today, the class period doesn’t consist of any ordinary gym class game. No. Today, the game is the feared, the worst, the nastiest game of all… DODGEBALL. You’re sweating out of nervousness in addition to the sweltering heat of the non air conditioned gymnasium. The first step of the game is arguably worse than the actual game itself. You’re lined up in a row, staring into the eyes of the two team captains. A bead of sweat rolls down your temple, as if you were in a comic strip and the scene was very very intense. Maybe for the super competitive people out there, this is not an intimidating thought, but for slightly uncoordinated individuals out there… the thought of being, or not being, chosen for a team is quite scary. However, what if the roles were reversed? What if you were the one picking your own team? In actuality, whether or not you are competitive or shy, everyone has the opportunity to choose their own “team”. That is, in life, you have the ability to choose who your friends are, who you spend your time with, and who you can trust to help you “win” at life. As the phrase says, you are the company that you keep. Make sure that you genuinely enjoy your company. Make sure that your team, is a good representation of the person of who you want to be.

I think that we have all been guilty of hanging out with the wrong crowd from time to time in our lives. Maybe you were part of a group of some really funny people. The kind of people that make you laugh so hard it hurts, but sometimes for the wrong reasons. Did you laugh when they laughed at the harmless trick played on that socially awkward boy? I’m sure it seemed funny, but is that really who you want to be known as? Or maybe, you got to be part of that elite group of cool people. The kind of people who walk down the sidewalk and people move out of the way for them instead of the other way around. Did you drink what was in the bottle when they handed it to you late that one Saturday night? I’m sure it made you feel good, but how did you feel about yourself later the next day? What about the group of people that you really feel are a solid group of humans. They make smart choices, they are nice to the socially awkward boy, but… all they do is complain and emit a negative atmosphere. How do you feel on a day to day basis when your friends are always raining on you? Sometimes it seems like there are never the right type of people to surround yourself with, like you can’t really win. Trust me, that’s one of the biggest lies you could ever tell yourself.

First off, know that you are worth it to choose uplifting, good choice making, positive influences to be your friends. You have the opportunity and honestly, the right to pick some stellar people to be the company that you keep. It took me what I thought was far long to figure that out, but I think it is supposed to be that way because the people I have chosen to be my close friends are forever kinds of people. They are one in a million and are a thousand times over worth the amount of years it took to find them. To the people I’m talking about, you know who you are and I love you all dearly. To all who graciously took the time to read this, I pray that you, as the team captain of your own life, have chosen the forever kind of teammates to spend your time with.