Do You Believe You Matter?

Sometimes I will see a person dressed in a cool outfit looking smart and confident and it somehow gives me a lift and a feeling of confidence about the future.  The person might not even see me, yet they had an effect on my life.  And in turn, my feeling of confidence or hope could spread to someone I talk to or interact with later that day. 

The myriad of decisions I make and actions I take each day may appear to impact only me, but truly I have no idea the ripple effect my life has on other lives.  And that is true for each of us. 

I am not trying to make a case for grandiosity or ego-centric thinking.  I am talking self worth here.  How I feel about myself and what I think of myself and my footprint in the world matters.  Do I believe I lift right out of the picture or that I make a difference? 

It is easy to fall into a pit of self doubt and self-pity.  That kind of thinking is infectious and it is self-fulfilling. 

The good news is that believing in yourself is easy too.  Self-worth is the opposite of self doubt.  You don't have to feel like the person with all the answers, you just have to believe that you are a part of the whole. 

We each are a part of the mass of humankind.  We each make contributions large and small, meaningful and trivial, negative and positive.  As it should be.  And the amazing thing is that it takes no effort.  None at all.

We already have everything we need to do our part.  We always have had everything we need, except the belief and trust that we can.  It is about accepting responsibility that I matter.  It is about believing that I do make a difference and my actions or lack of action has an impact beyond me.  

Do you remember Pigpen from Peanuts?  He was always surrounded by a cloud of dirt and dust.  I believe it was a metaphor for our attitude.  What sort of cloud are you carrying around you all day –hopeful, trusting, beautiful, cheerful, depressed, angry?  What sort of ripples might you be sending out?

That I affect my family, friends, and co-workers is a given.  Now, I expand that knowledge to understand that I have a bigger sphere of influence.  And here's the important part, I don't know what that sphere is or how much it extends.   I only need to pay attention to my part and to what message I want to send to the world.

My message is simple. You matter!  I matter!  We all matter!  So, live as if we know this to be true.