As a writer to other young adults like myself; I feel that I am obligated to discuss things that occur in my life that helped mold me into a better person by the way I make decisions, who I surround myself with, and just how I live my life. Well, in the last month, I’ve gone through something that I want to discuss with you that I’m sure everyone can relate to. It is Gossip; the people who spread it and those who allow it to consume their lives.

We have all gossiped at some point in our lives. We all speak about things that may not and should not be of our concern, but get ourselves involved with them anyway. Being someone that has been on both sides of the fence; I’ve come to realize that gossip is, well, stupid. It’s stupid to gossip because when you do, you’re usually talking about someone else and their problems, for no reason. If you happen to be the one gossiped about, you may feel confused because your business is no one else’s. You may also feel sad or ashamed for the sole fact that people would go out of their way to talk about you and your current situations.

Sometimes people allow gossip to control the way they live. Gossipers will gossip all day. Gossipers will see a friend and feel the need to discuss someone else’s issues and let that subject be the main discussion of the day. A person that people gossip about may decide to change the way they live, just to please others and lessen the everyday struggle of having other people discussing their life.

To my discovery, gossipers are people who are small minded and find nothing entertaining about themselves; therefore, they find an alternate, much easier, yet lower, route to start a conversation with those they associate themselves with. I sometimes find myself feeling sympathy for people who gossip. The thought of someone talking trash or getting involved in other people’s affairs due to a lack of interest or excitement in their own life makes me feel sympathetic to the gossipers’ situation. I feel the most for those that allow gossip to change them to the point they rearrange the way they live just to reach the, so called, standards of society. When someone shows a compulsive interest in how others view them, they develop low self-esteem and question themselves about their values and moral standards. They allow the gossipers to get to them. I myself have gone through this stage once before. The secret is to overcome it and stand on your own.

Overcoming gossip is quite easy. If you are a gossiper, just stop getting involved in other people’s business. Realize that gossiping shows others that you have something missing in your life that you long to have. If you’re the one being gossiped about, don’t allow other people and their negative actions influence the way you live and the person you are. By lowering your standards and stooping to their level, you show others that you have no true moral standards and that you are a crowd pleaser that jumps from band-wagon to band-wagon. I’ve always thought that a true leader was someone that stood on their own and had opponents that questioned their lifestyle and beliefs, but in the end, found those same opponents transform into their most loyal followers.

With that being said, I challenge you to lead the crowd, and overcome gossip. Be the one who can look back and say, “I overcame the gossip obstacle in my life and am now showing others how to overcome it too.” If you thought this article was informative, don’t keep it to yourself, spread the word. And remember, the choices YOU make today, shape OUR world tomorrow.