(Madisyn Taylor)
It can be easy sometimes to buy into the illusion of our own insignificance. We may see large corporations or institutions, celebrities or successful people in our community, and compare ourselves to them, thinking that their fame or material power affirm how little our own lives amount to. But nothing could be further from the truth. Every single one of us matters -tremendously. Our very existence affects countless people in countless ways. And because we are each essentially a microcosm of the larger universe, our internal experiences affect the whole of life more than we could ever imagine. The world simply could not exist as it does now if you, or any one of us, were not in it.
Perhaps you are aware that on some level you believe your life does not matter. If this thought resonates within you, maybe it is time to explore why you feel this way. You may have formed self-rejecting or belittling beliefs as a child to keep yourself safe or to help you make sense of confusing situations. You may have felt unseen or unheard and decided that there was something wrong with you, rather than with the attention span of the people around you. Spend some time looking into where these feelings of insignificance first took root and see what changes you might be able to make in your life and in your heart.
This one belief in your own unimportance could be limiting you and impacting your life in enormous ways. When you shift your perceptions around your own ability to affect your life and impact the world, you may discover wonderful parts of yourself that you had long ago forgotten. There may even be exciting new parts that you never even knew existed. When you gain awareness of how much your life really does matter, new sources of energy can emerge and your sense of connection with the world is renewed.
My Thoughts:
As a child it was often said of me that I was, ‘always in the background’. Which was true, but I was far from being too shy to interact or unsure of myself, rather I was raised to be seen and not heard when in company unless I was specifically included in what was happening, especially in front of adults. As a result, I had learnt to be a watcher.
I liked being the loner, the one that was there but often not there in anyone’s face. I enjoyed interacting, but only on my terms. I preferred my own company, which is often the case with only children and did not enjoy the so-called fun-and-games of being in a group. They bored me, they were, as far as I was concerned a waste of time, frivolous and without meaning. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t value them or myself, but more that I was happier doing something that I considered productive.
As I got older nothing very much changed for a long while. If I didn’t like what was going on, I would politely excuse myself but if I was in the mood to be the life-and-soul of the party, nothing would stop me.
I now have a very happy balance. I party and interact when I want to, I participate in groups that tick all the boxes for me as to creativity and productiveness and stay well clear of doing anything that borders on mindless.
I am very aware of who I am and where my life fits in with the greater scheme of things, and that is good enough for me.