Like a fish on a hook

I had never had such a desire to let other people puppeteer my life.

And never had I been so keen at realizing when people were using me, just to fulfill their own needs. You could say that sometimes friends will take advantage of you, and that is true. It has happened to me many times. Sometimes the media will bait us. Telling us white lies about miracle products or how other people think you're fat and ugly because you don't look like an anorexic model. And of course we'll believe them. The biggest weapon used to pull us in is lies. People are greedy and selfish. You could say it's our nature, but some are more narcissistic than others. The worst thing of all is that people hide behind their lies and use them as armour. We mustn't let other people tell us what to do with our lives or lie to us and control us. You choose what you do with your life and what direction you wish to head in. People will lie to you or manipulate you in order to benefit themselves, but you can't let that happen. Stand for yourself. And more importantly, stand for those who are unable to stand for themselves. Don't let someone tell you that you're not good enough or lie to you in order to bring you down. Not your friends, not even your family have the obligation to control what you do in your life. There is a difference between controlling and giving advice. Your family and friends are there solely for support and love and advice, not to tell you what you can or cannot do for yourself or to try to put your life in a direction that is unappealing to you. The only reason why people are able to do these things to us is because we let them- we're scared of the consequences of going against the waves of a common tide. It is a habit of mind to constantly seek the approval of others, but only if something you are doing is hurting another person should you change for them. Go where your heart tells you to, and accept only the advice from other people, not the demand of improvement or change.