When we've been pulled low by circumstance, happenstance or mental ill health, it's easy to believe those pesky inner trolls that tell us that we don't matter. That we're insignificant. That nobody would even notice if we ran away or were gone. There are 7.7 billion people on this planet - those trolls have got a point, right? (They don't, but we'll get to that in a bit.)
And there's the noise; the social networks, the pinging of notifications, the endless emails, the hustle, the bustle, and the white noise of life. In a world that's hyperconnected, we can feel so disconnected. So unseen, so unheard, full-throttle invisible.
Those inner trolls aren't half bare-faced liars though.
You see, it's only ever going to be people that matter. It's only ever going to be the words, the actions, the love and the kindness of people which really counts. It's in the pain of loss, it's in the skip in our steps of love, it's the infectiousness of a smile and the pang of empathy when someone is hurting. It's the coming together of individual people which has caused momentous shifts in our history and it's the understanding that whatever we do and whoever we are, we create ripples.
Never underestimate, the sheer power of your smile for someone who is feeling a little lost. Try not to play down all of the times you've helped, guided, mentored, parented, befriended, shared a kind word or two - those things leave everlasting warmth. Don't belittle your uniqueness nor undervalue your contribution - even when you feel empty with nothing left to give. Don't worry if you're not whizzing through life; slaying, crushing, all that high-energy stuff - it is as exhausting as it sounds, and the cliche is true: we're human beings not human doings! Never doubt that you matter, that you're important and that you're needed. Because you are. Just as you are.