We’ve all been there. We’ve all felt it. I mean, let’s face it. In a world like ours that constantly promotes perfection and success by making people feel like they are never enough, it is pretty easy to feel like you don’t matter at all.
I know exactly what is like to question your own worth and have no direction in life. As an insecure person, I grew up dealing with anxiety and very low self-esteem. The only thing I wanted in life was to simply belong somewhere. I wanted to feel loved. I wanted people to notice me. I wanted to feel important. Valuable. Worth remembering.
So, I’ll be completely honest with you and tell you that there are still moments in my life when I don’t feel any different. Yes, I grew up, but the part of me that always questioned my purpose in life; my place in this world stayed with me forever.
If you, my fellow friend relate to any of this, know that…
1. Just because you’ve forgotten your worth, that doesn’t mean that you don’t matter. Not all of your thoughts, judgments, assumptions, and conclusions in your mind are real. Make sure you remember this every time anxiety strikes you and you convince yourself that you are not enough. Just because someone forgot to reply to your email or didn’t say Hi to you on the street, it doesn’t mean that the whole world hates you. Those anxious thoughts are not your reality, they are simply your perspective that doesn’t always reflect the truth.
2. You are not alone. Trust me, you aren’t. No matter how organized, strong and self-confident everyone looks out in the streets, we are all messy. Every single one of us has self-doubting moments in their lives. Even the strongest ones fall sometimes. And that is nothing to be ashamed of. We all struggle to find our place under the stars every now and then. So, next time you feel like you need to talk to someone, don’t be afraid to open up. Ask people for a piece of advice. Tell them what bothers you.
3. The way people treat you says a lot more about them than about you. I know how it feels. It is difficult to understand why people like to bully, neglect or abuse. Deep down you know that you’ve done nothing to deserve that treatment. Do you know why is that? People who hurt never do it because you are you. They do it because they are them. They abuse because they are going through a lot of pain themselves. They bully because they have too many insecurities. They neglect because they’ve been neglect. It’s a mirror effect that shapes our lives. It has nothing to do with your worth.
4. Your presence has made a difference to a lot more people that you know. Believe me when I say this… You do have an impact. You are just too scared to open your eyes and see it for yourself. Regardless of what you’ve convinced yourself to believe, you, my dear friend, are someone’s blessing. You are someone’s reason to smile. You are someone’s safe place, inspiration, motivation, hope. You are someone’s entire world. Never forget that.
5. You don’t necessarily have to do big things to matter. You don’t have to save the world to show yourself that you have worth. Your value is not a reflection of your accomplishments, but of who you are as a person. Big meaning doesn’t always come in the form of success. Think about the people who have mattered to you the most. Was it a celebrity that helped you cope with your struggles? Or a teacher who came into your life when you needed guidance and helped you took the right path in life? The same goes for you. You don’t have to do big things to matter. The fact that you are a kind, honest and humble human being is enough.
