Gordon Flett

You know, Uri Bronfenbrenner, the famous social scientist who was involved for many years trying to make things better in the U.S.

and elsewhere, he said every kid needs at least one special person who makes that kid feel good.

like they can do no wrong essentially as their champion.

I think we also need that as adults too.

We need somebody in our life who sees something special in us and who really believes in us in a way that maybe other people have overlooked.

Sure.

Well, we're talking about the term mattering.

And I'm reading this chapter in this book by Morris Rosenberg, who originated the term and the focus on mattering.

And in about five pages of an overall chapter, he said this might be the most important element of the self-concept, particularly for people of certain ages, adolescents in particular, with all the identity issues and the need for

reassurance.

And also, when we get older, we might feel that we're being lost in the shuffle at that point.

Yes, yes.

And there's so much in those three lines.

If somebody said to me, pick two quick words to say what is mattering, you know, somebody cares about you and somebody appreciates you.

And not just for what you do, but who you are.

Cares about you as a person, cares about you and appreciates you as a person.

I often think about people who are in such important jobs that

And they get burned out and dejected.

And I thought they've lost sight of the fact that they're cared about, not just in terms of what they offer people, but also in terms of who they are.

Yes, it can fluctuate because you're not always in your grandmother's cafeteria.