The people and setting you surround yourself by contribute greatly to molding you as a person. The problem with this is if you're surrounded by people who possess beta traits, you will naturally adapt to and begin to possess those traits yourself if you aren't careful. It's natural, but you will have to fight it if you seek fulfillment.

Practice mindfulness. Many people reject the idea of mindfulness. However, it is crucial to maintaining your frame and values. Meditation and mindfulness go hand in hand, so if you aren't already, begin meditating at least 10 minutes per day.

This is especially applicable to anyone going through the modern school system. Ever since I was young, I possessed 'alpha' (see my post on alpha ideology) traits. However, I was never able to fully grasp these traits till later in my life because of the way I was raised. Schools literally train you to be a 'beta'.

The iron law of maintenence is making sure you don't ever accept other peoples' 'beta' traits as what's right, no matter how many people you find possess these traits. This is a direct route to disaster. You must fight your natural human tendency to fit in for your own long term success. Have your own values, and maintain them. Again, this is especially applicable today.

Yes, you may lose/have lost friends. But if so, losing those friends is/was an inevitable part of your journey. The less detrimental people you surround yourself by, the faster you will improve.

This is all part of swallowing the pill. The modern man is subject to non-stop bashing and bullshit. Let the bullshit pass by you, don't let it infect your frame, and most importantly, don't let it end your mission.