You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important

In the middle of a hectic beyond hectic week, I had to find someway to keep myself going. I thought about books and movies that have inspired me in some way. In particular, I was thinking about those that really made me stop and think about my identity. The one that spoke to me this week was The Help. It not only made me think about my roots, but also about where I’m meant to go in life.

You is Kind

Having a genuine heart and great intentions is a key to success. Nobody admires the self-righteous, self-centered success story. People admire those who touch others and spread their legacy through leading by example. Being kind really doesn’t take any special effort. Being kind is simply a way of living simply. When you’re consistently kind, you tend to avoid conflicts and people tend to respect you. Both of these factors eliminate major sources of stress brought on by other individuals. Beyond this, it’s just the right thing to do.

You is Smart

This is the strongest element for me. I am not in a field by any means that allows me to rest my brain. I am constantly being pushed to think harder and beyond the information provided for me. Honestly, there are times I get downright sick of this. I spent hours manipulating equations for my homework this week. Those are hours I truly wish could have been divided among other things. There are other way  to be smart than adhering to professors’, bosses’, etc. expectations. For example, being knowledgeable about current events around the world. The UK is going through something absolutely enormous right now. I know there are people too caught up in academics and other things they hold highly to notice and I will admit I used to be one of these people. Being smart isn’t all about grades and knowledge. It’s also about using judgement to make decisions. It’s about choosing to live in such a way that not only works for you but also helps you advance. There are innumerable ways to become smart and innumerable areas to become smart in. There’s no right or wrong choice; there’s only what is best for you.

You is Important

You are important to somebody. Hopefully, you’re important to a lot of people. Regardless of how many people you are important to, your self-worth does not depend on this. Your contributions to the world– including those from being kind and smart– may magnify the number of people aware of you, but they don’t determine how important you are. Take famous people for example. Most of them are only regarded as important in one field. However, every one of these people is somebody’s child. Many are also siblings and spouses, parents and grandparents, nieces or nephews, aunts, uncles, or cousins. Think about how different your relationships with these people are and what that means about your importance to them and vice versa.

Don’t sell yourself short on being kind or smart or important. The things you do permeate well beyond hat you are able to see. Never forget that what you do speaks volumes. People will remember what you did– or didn’t do– for them. You show others the magnitude of your kindness, intelligence, and importance constantly and it always means something to somebody.