10 Reasons Why You Matter

Hi you, yes you. I know this is cheesy and corny and absolutely ridiculous because I have no idea who you may be or what you may be going through, but I want to offer you 10 reasons why I can guarantee you matter.

1. You are a human being.

You are a living, breathing human being. That should be enough, you take up space in this world, not useless space but space that matters, space that makes a difference. You light up the world with your soul and your body and you are ALIVE. You are living and breathing and you matter for those reasons alone, you are alive which means that you haven't accomplished everything you need to, you haven't quite reached your purpose but never, ever doubt that you are on your way.

2. You meet people every day who are forever changed by you.

Yes, you. Every day, you go out into the world whether it be running errands at the grocery store or begrudgingly going to class. You meet people and you impact them whether you think you do or not. Your smile, your eyes, your heart. Anything that you have to offer can impact a person immensely, remember this. Everything that you are has the power to change a life. Keep this in mind and use it for good. You have infinite potential to affect those around you in an incredible way and I believe that you can, I believe that you can change someone for the better and you must believe this too. Smile, say hello, be kind. Our world needs more people like you, we need more kindness and we need more of your heart and your smile. We need more of your warm eyes. I can promise you that.

3. You have a purpose.

I mentioned this in the first paragraph, but you do have a purpose. Now, I do not know what your purpose is but I do know that no matter who you are, you are destined for greatness and the only thing standing in your way is yourself. Believe in who you are, believe in your purpose. Your purpose could be to find happiness, it could be to change the world, it could be to save a person's life. Just know that no matter what your purpose it is your own and you must take hold of that purpose with all the strength you have within you, you must fight for your purpose. You have the power to be incredible, never forget that.

4. You are important.

You are important to everyone around you and everyone you meet. You are important to your family, your friends. Do not let anyone take away this knowledge from you, never forget how truly important you are. Your life is as important as the most unforgettable people. You are as important as President Obama, Eleanor Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Emma Watson. You are important. You have the power to use your importance and your knowledge of this importance to do incredible things and to achieve your purpose (acknowledge that and never forget it).

5. You matter because you choose to matter.

Everything in your life is a choice. You make choices daily to get out of bed, to make breakfast, to go to work and you actively make a choice to matter. You have that right, you have that right as a human being to matter and you can never let someone take that away from you. You choose this actively every day when you post on social media, when you get dressed and show everyone who you are and what your style is, when you voice your opinion regarding current events at a dinner party. You matter every time you allow yourself to. Never stop allowing yourself to matter.

6. You make the decision to get out of bed in the morning.

I know that sometimes life is hard. I know that sometimes you cry yourself to sleep and you feel like the entire world is against you but I promise you that even in those moments, you matter. Even in your darkest hours you matter. You matter because you make the constant decision to get up every day and to face the world. That alone, is enough reason to matter. You have a fight within you, you have a fight to get out of a warm bed every morning without the knowledge of what you can face throughout the day. You matter because you fight with all your heart and you keep going despite your hurt and your fear tearing you down. You matter because you get out of bed in the morning, be proud of that.

7. You have a voice, never forget this.

Never forget that you have a voice and you have a right to be heard. Do not be afraid to say what you believe and to speak about your passions and your loves. Do not be afraid to be who you are and voice what you love, what you hate and what terrifies you. You matter because you have a voice and you allow yourself to be heard, never stop allowing yourself to be heard. People want to hear you. I want to hear you. We all want to hear you.

8. You have scars on your body and the graves of tears on your cheeks.

You matter because you have felt joy and pain. You have smiled with the force of a thousand suns and you have cried with the weight of a thousand moons. You matter because you feel and you have lived, you matter because you have experienced life. You have experienced suffering and pain and you have experienced happiness and joy. You know what it feels like to envy, to grieve, to love and to ache. You matter because you have lived and you continue to every day, you get new scars both internal and external and you continue living. You matter because you live.

9. You have passion.

You love what you love and you aren't ashamed about it. You matter because you love fishing or you love singing. You matter because you love going to the Opera or listening to NPR. You matter because you love watching "Scandal" or even "Duck Dynasty." You matter because you love what you love and you hold passion for what you choose. You matter because you love the man that you love despite the hurt he has caused you (just know, that although I admire your love, you matter enough to walk away from anyone who does not realize your worth or how much you truly matter to the rest of us). You matter because you continue trying to learn to cook no matter how much your family pleads for you to stop. You matter because you love what you love and you have a passion that no one can match.

10. You matter because of who you are.

You are incredible. I do not know you personally, but I promise that I do not need to in order to know how incredible, kind and smart you are. You matter because I, among many other people around you, just know how truly important you are to the world and to everyone surrounding you. You matter because you are worth every pain and every joy you have experienced. You are worth the life you have lived and the life you yearn for. You matter because you deserve joy and happiness, I do not care what is in your past, you matter because you deserve to look at the future and demand the universe to make note of who you are and to understand that you will be heard and you will not be silenced. You will love yourself and you now know just how important you are and how much you truly matter.