This isn't everything you are.

Right now. Here. In this exact moment.

This isn't all you are. This isn't everything you have to give. This isn't the sum of your value. I don't refer to what you do- your accomplishments, your achievements, your failures and mistakes. Those have consequences and benefits, of course. I am speaking about your intrinsic value as a human being.

Loneliness is epidemic in my generation. Constant connection but very little real intimacy. Private details of lives spread across the internet for anyone to see. Desperate attempts at authenticity that burn the author with exposure. Constantly putting yourself out there only to be criticized and tossed aside by others seeking the same connection as you.

It wears on you. Whittles your self-confidence to a very fragile thread. Your perceived value decreases with every rejection, every broken promise, every broken connection. And you begin to see yourself differently. Like maybe this is all you are. The second choice. The backup. The almost but not quite. The runner-up.

This isn't everything you are.

Those times you tried and didn't make it but tried again? You are brave.
Those people you loved even when they didn't love you back? You are strong.
Those mistakes you made? You are wiser now.

Your value is so much more that what can be seen. The world that lives inside your head, every quirk that makes you you, your perspective of the world that is utterly unique, the eternity bound up in your mortal frame... this is where your true value lies. Kindness from a broken heart, peace from a turbulent soul, gentleness from a mighty hand; these are rare and wonderful and priceless.

The loneliness that you feel etched on your soul doesn't determine your value. You longing for connection is real and sacred and not a sign of weakness. You are more, so much more. Let the pain of that loneliness remind you...

This is not everything you are.