#9 Feeling Small

A few months ago, I talked about feeling small. At one point, I noted that feeling small was usually the fault of those around you. Basically, if you feel tiny, you are surrounded by jerks that treat you like dirt. I stand by that idea and I think that it’s still a great thing to remind yourself of often. 

It has gotten me thinking about the role others play in our own value. I mean, we all get value from others, right? We take what others around us say about us, and make it what we say about ourselves. And that goes for people of the past, too. Some of us spend decades of our lives held hostage by the person we were told we were in school. 

And if that’s you, don’t worry-it’s pretty normal. I still find myself doing it from time to time.

But that’s why it’s so important to remind ourselves that we aren’t, in fact, worthless. We’re just making someone mad. But what if there’s some truth to the matter? What if I’m testing my coworker’s patience because I can’t get my job done right? Shouldn’t I feel bad about myself then? 

I mean, yes and no. If you start to see a repeating pattern everywhere you go, then it might be time to take a look at the scenario you keep re-creating. But take a look at it when you are in a place where you can actually change. The thing about that feeling of smallness is that it’s crushing. It holds you down and keeps you from going anywhere. You don’t want that feeling anywhere near the mix when you try to start growing. 

Instead, you want a feeling that says “I might be small, but I can be bigger!” You want to be able to accept your flaws and shortcomings, knowing that you can grow out of them. I find that there’s often a bit of a gap between who we feel like we are and who we actually are. A lot of times, the person we actually are is just

The norm.

Kind of like the childhood you wind up having. There are things we don’t really question for a while because that’s how they have always been. I remember people used to ask me about living in a split-parent household. I mean, sure, it has its setbacks and all, but for the most part it was just how life was. I think our personalities can be like that. Our flaws, our shortcomings; our strengths and weaknesses, they all become part of the glasses through which we see the world. And some of that is good, and some of it is bad. 

And back to the whole “people can make me feel bad about myself” spiel, I don’t actually think that having people tell you what you’re worth is actually all bad. Since it’s only natural for us to care about what others think, we may as well use it to our advantage. I say that we definitely should be around people that can tell us we’re worth something in this world. We all should have friends who encourage us and see all the good that we could bring to the world.

But they should also have the courage to be honest about what we are and aren’t good at. The difference is that a good friend doesn’t make you feel useless or worthless for those things. Instead, they can separate something you’re bad at from the idea that you’re a loser who sucks. Everyone has value and potential. They just need to use it. 

So there you have it-another great insight from Chicken Little! I hope that you have enjoyed the series and I pray that insight finds you today!

Until Next Time

May Peace be your Guide.