You Are What You Give
Are you a “highly sensitive person”? Am I? “Highly sensitive people” (HSP) feel emotions more strongly and are more easily affected by the world around them. I read an article that described how a highly sensitive person experiences the world, and I related to much of it.
Understanding Sensitivity
Sometimes my emotions overwhelm me, leading me to lash out or run away from situations. Other times, I feel strangely numb—even when I think I “should be” more affected.
But I realized that it doesn’t matter. My feelings are sometimes bigger than I can manage. The label is irrelevant.
That article suggested that others should constantly adjust to accommodate a highly sensitive person, creating an expectation that the world should adapt to us instead of encouraging us to adapt and grow stronger.
The Harsh Reality
For good and ill, the world does not one whit about you. Accepting this can be liberating because it empowers you to take control of your own life and to stop waiting for the world to change around you.
The world will not accommodate your needs. It might virtue signal, condescend, or even trap you in a cage of comforting labels that excuse why you “couldn’t” or “can’t”—or it may berate and belittle you, depending on on your background and their prejudices.
If you have a physical, emotional, or mental challenge, then it’s up to you to become more than just your handicap. You may be a highly sensitive person, or in a wheelchair, or trying to beat an addiction, or have a batshit crazy family that makes your life hell. In my own life, I struggle with depression. Instead of letting it define me or create excuses, I use it to force myself toward healthy habits—like exercise, eating well, and cultivating daily routines that carry me through my dark days and elevate my bright days. My personal success wasn’t because the world made things easier for me, but because I refused to let my depression be my entire story. Our flaws and failings can be rough to deal with, but they’re our cross to bear, no one else’s.
Growth Through Service
Prove to the world that you can offer value, that you contribute, and you’ll still carry your burdens, but I guarantee that you’ll find them grow lighter. That’s the power of service to others. Not volunteer work—though that is absolutely awesome—but just contributing meaningfully to your world. Go to work, mow your elderly neighbor’s lawn, start an internet-based business, join or organize a group picking up trash on your block, learn new marketable skills, help run an event for a cause you believe in.
Everything you do to add value—whether it’s through a job or in your community—is time spent growing and becoming more capable. One of the awesome things about people is that when we take positive action in one area, it often reflects into all areas of ourselves.
Even our burdens.
In the end, proving your worth through meaningful contributions not only makes the world just a little bit brighter but also lightens your own burdens. Every action you take to give back to the world brings you closer to becoming the person you’ve always wanted to be.
Don’t wait. The best time to start anything worthwhile is always:
Today.
Watch the Video
If you prefer to watch instead of read—or watch in addition to reading—then check out this video where I talk about these ideas:
