You are not able to escape being influenced by other people and by circumstance. So do you still think you are yourself, an individual of independence, being molded by yourself?
What kinds of things affect ourselves and transform us into a part of them?
Time and place
Who would you be and what would you do now if you are not in this country, this time? You try to imagine that you are in an inordinately different place, such as India, you definitely have black skin and eat food you never try now. if you are in the nineteenth century, you cannot understand why people can talk in a long distance because mobile phone is not emerged until 1973.
The difference of places and time would result in different ideas of punctuality. We cannot get knowledge out of our time and place. Your mind is the result of interaction of time and place and it doesn't only belong to you.
The influence of ideas
When we are children, parents usually express to us with this sentence: If you believe in yourself, you can succeed at anything. Now we know that it is a way parents used to encourage us. Except that, talent and hard work are still very important. But this sentence still can be considered as that nothing else but belief is necessary for success.
The implication of one sentence or an idea we encounter barely be explained uniformly because everyone has their unique experience that will affect their belief and behavior.