Everyone needs to believe that they can be useful. When our young people lose faith in themselves they withdraw and stop trying. When great numbers of people opt out we all lose. We could argue there is something wrong with them or we can all front up and address the tough conversation that suggests we have got something wrong.
Digital media has provided a sensationalised assessment of how the world is outside our own lives. Beautiful people with beautiful lives can make vulnerable minds feel small. If you are comparing yourself to things you see on the internet you are bound to come up second best. Your best self exists in the mundane reality of the here and now. It may not be as dramatic or sensational as the stories you read about online but its your life and its happening right now. You have the power to live in this world and experience everything it has to offer.
There is a natural growth to our adventures and self development. Learning to be useful starts with recognising that there is something truly unique and powerful that you can offer this world. This power may be absolutely in its infancy and need to be developed. You don’t need to know what this is or how far you can go. All I ask is that you try and be useful. Take something that you are interested in or can do and develop this skill or knowledge.
Now find someone or a group of people who you can be useful with. Could you be of use to someone else? I don’t really care how small or demeaning the gift might be. I am using the word gift because being useful doesn’t always mean being paid. That may come with time.
Watch what happens when you share your gift with others. You feel useful, you gain confidence and self esteem. They feel grateful and appreciative. You have gained status and it is with this action that you can build momentum.
In a world that makes people feel useless and unwanted, it is up to you to fight back. This fight starts with small steps and small wins, and is fought with consistent effort in the face of overwhelming odds. This is your life to live and you deserve to give it a go.
Embrace mistakes and rejection. These are the obstacles and proof that what you are doing is worth something, turning you into the person you will become. Every setback is an opportunity to get up and try something new. Every failure is another step closer. Every obstacle gives you more experience points as you craft your skill.
There is no end point when you are good enough. Good enough to have the partner or job of your dreams. Good enough to have great friends and resources. You are alive now and are good enough already. You arrived on this earth as a human miracle. You are beautiful and unique in every way.
The answers lie within you my friend. You get to decide how you feel and how you react to the world. To be useful you need to foster the right mindset. You will need a degree of positivity and drive to give it a go. Begin to take notice of how you are feeling and what triggers changes in how you feel. Could you over time gain more control over how you feel?
We probably haven’t met and I know how hard life can get. If things are tough and you feel like your stuck playing on hard mode, its time to shake things up. Instead of playing the game, which could be designed so that someone else wins, could you change the rules? Like a game of snakes and ladders, some ladders take you right to the top while others keep you on the slow go. Maybe there is a whole new game, just for you, right around the corner.
There is no more to read and this the end. If you have read this far, you are committed to change and I believe in you. Go well my friend, your new world awaits.
