The next time your friends are sitting around the table badmouthing the latest movie or complaining about pseudo-liberals or even gossiping about a friend, instead of letting them shape your opinions, decide for yourself. How do you feel? Why should their opinions have any weight on yours?  Try this in tiny ways, too. The next time you want to check out a cafe or a movie or a shop, etc., and you've heard pretty mediocre things, go anyway! Other people sometimes just don't know what they're talking about. When you have decided for yourself, work up to speaking out about it. It's possible other people feel similarly but are too shy to say anything! You may also bring up a good point that no one else considered. " The next time you have an opportunity to do something that you just don't feel like doing, say no. Not only do you not want to partake in this activity, but it's totally fine if you don't live up to others' expectations because it doesn't bother you. Listen to your gut – it's often right. There's a fine line here, however. Should you skip your best friend's wedding because you don't feel like it? Probably not. Should you avoid the mandatory work meeting because you're feeling lazy? Nope. In other words, know how to pick your battles. Nowadays, we live in cultures of millions. We have so many resources at our disposal that we don't have to do a thing ourselves. We get our cars fixed, our plumbing fixed, our computers fixed, our health fixed – the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, that takes away from our resourcefulness and our sense of responsibility. In order to not depend on others, we've got to fix our own problems. So the next time you're feeling down in the dumps, take it on your own shoulders to do something about it. Spend the night doing something you really enjoy, treat yourself to retail therapy, or, heck, just relax. When you're successful, this can show you that you have the power to make everything better, not other people. There's a line from a James Bond theme that says, "Arm yourself because no one else will save you." It's a little cynical, but the idea is true: we're all humans and at the end of the day, we have to be selfish and put ourselves first to be happy. Everyone else does it, so you can, too – without feeling any guilt. Keeping this in mind can help you from getting your hopes up and then being let down. When you have few expectations of people, it's easier for others to meet them. And it'll be easier to notice who still struggles meeting your lack of expectation and who consistently rises to the top. When our entire lives revolve around a small group of people, it's hard not to think that their opinions couldn't move mountains. To widen your world and take the importance off their opinions, hang out with more people! Having a wide social network is good in fair and foul weather, too. All humans have to attach themselves to things. It can stink, because it means our emotions are at the whim of other people and other things. The key here is to not overattach yourself. It's a fine line that only you can find. The best way to do this is to spread yourself between different people and divvy up your time accordingly. This is what it comes down to: you are your own person and therefore you're going to do your own thing, whatever that means. When you find who you are and stick to it, no one can stop that inner sense of happiness that'll prevail as a result. People who genuinely stick to who they are a rare breed. It shouldn't cause judgement – it should inspire. People will see that you are your own fountain of happiness and wish they were the same! While some won't be able to handle it, they're not the ones you want to be around anyway!.

Summary:
Decide for yourself. Say "no. Learn to fix your own problems. Expect little from others. Hang out with different groups of people. Do your own thing.