Society influences us all. In his talk “Zion in the Midst of Babylon,” David R. Stone explained how our culture, or society, can affect our clothing and food choices, and even influence our priorities in life. He said, “Too often we are like puppets on a string because our culture determines what is ‘cool’” (Stone 2006). The people around us can influence and change the decisions we make every day. Looking back on my own life, I have found three central themes that describe the biggest societal influences in my life: my family, my religion, and the world's view of women have all shaped my decisions in life. My family has had a huge influence in my life. I know they helped make me the woman I am today. My family had a huge influence on my life when we moved from Ogden to Rexburg. My father worked for Weber, but he left because he was offered a job here at Ricks College. I've been visiting Ogden since I was little and the environments are completely different. Rexburg is a very small town with an extremely high Latter-day Saint population. In high school, those who were not members of the Church were a minority. In Ogden, this is not the case and I believe this simple difference between the two cities would have affected my life. I know this move has changed me, but I'm happy with who I am because of it. My family has also influenced my life in my choice of extracurricular activities. My grandmother played sports in high school and all of her daughters played sports in high school. Growing up, me and my sisters were almost expected to play sports as well (Journal Entry Week 4). The boys didn't expect it as much, but...... middle of paper ... changed or resisted change. After journaling, I saw three major ways that society has influenced my life. A journal is a valuable tool that allows us to reflect on the past, reread the past and analyze it. When we look back, we are better able to see and understand how society influences our own lives. I discovered that two of the major influences in my life were a very positive influence while the third was more of a negative influence. By journaling, I can look at my life and see where society is influencing me and if I need to make any changes in my life. It will be difficult to resist the negative pull of society, but as Elder Stone said, it is possible to resist: “We need not become puppets in the hands of the culture of place and culture. time” (Stone 2006). We can resist and decide how we let outside influences change us..