Jennifer Breheny Wallace

So the reason people often feel like they don't matter is because no one tells them that they do.

No one sort of circles back.

They offer advice to someone, but they don't know if that advice was taken.

They believe, you know, they might even be going through the world with a deep sense of purpose.

But if their efforts are never acknowledged, that sense of purpose can fade and actually lead to burnout.

So it is important to matter, but perhaps it's most important to feel like you matter.

And I will say we are not necessarily independent.

dependent on others to connect to our impact.

Yes, as social creatures, we are, you know, we crave that social proof that we matter, that who we are and what we do make a difference.

But there are everyday ways that we can connect to our impact that could help us feel like we matter if we are questioning it.

I could tell you something that I've started to do in my own life.

I hate to journal.

I'll admit it.

As a writer, I do not feel like journaling after a day of writing.

And so I have this 30-second exercise.

Before I go to bed, I have a small notebook next to my bed in my top drawer, and I write in it.

I answer two questions.

When did I feel valued today?

And when did I add value today, even in a small way?

Those days when I am working 12 hours and writing and sequestered alone in my office, I don't always necessarily feel like I'm adding value.