This is one of those “terrified-of-what-I-am-writing-and-simultaneously-admitting-to-myself” articles. I am not sure if I had not addressed this concern before because I was scared or simply because I didn’t know I had it, which would explain many things about myself.

For better or worse, I have always felt inadequate. This meaning: the unsettling state of not feeling accomplished enough, good enough, or at peace with where you are in life. As I write this, I can’t help but notice that this makes me sound a bit ungrateful, but I promise you it has nothing to do with gratitude.

I have always understood that life is full of changes and that we should embrace unpredictability; it is the way I like to live. I understand that sometimes the path that you thought was the best for you results in disappointment, or maybe it is not the path that you feel most comfortable in. I understand that, especially at my age, it is common to feel unsure about many things. After a lot of trial and error, I am lucky enough to have found the absolute thing that I want to do for the rest of my life, which is Music Therapy.

I am lucky enough to have graduated from my dream school, and I am lucky enough to have literally countless people and things to be thankful for. I can say that I am somewhat proud of my accomplishments, since they did not come easy. However, it doesn’t matter how much work I have to do, how many projects I have in mind, or how happy I am doing what I do, I am always haunted by a very distinct feeling of “Now what? What else should I be doing?”

Wanting to find that “X ingredient” that magically makes me successful or feeling that deep down I don’t believe I’ve reached my full potential - these questions have always interfered with my happiness. This feeling of inadequacy has always managed to weaken my self-esteem and strengthen my fear of failure, generating even more of this self-interrogation: why does everyone else seem to be sure of what they want? Why can’t I feel satisfied or at peace for once? Why am I not enough?

And in that very moment, that inadequacy reaches our most valuable virtue: our sense of self, our worth, and our place in this world.

That worth that we seek as human beings is the most powerful force. Either if we want to demonstrate it to others or to ourselves, there is no greater motivation than to have something to prove, something more to give. The problem is that we are our first critics; we are often not patient enough to achieve our goals and find what makes us happy.

If I have learned anything about the human mind, is that not everything has an explanation. We can't always trace every single one of our problems or misconceptions back to one "life-changing" moment in our childhoods and look for a solution out of a textbook. We need to get to know ourselves, and try to look for what "pushes our buttons." We need to acknowledge the fact that we are our worst judges. When everything goes wrong, we lose all sense of perspective and automatically blame ourselves.

We need to recognize our abilities, talents, and potential, and ask ourselves which of those can we use to serve others, or even better: which of those have we already used to help others. Keep in mind that every single one of us has a place in someone else's life and that we all have a purpose; sometimes it just takes a long time to find it. Remember that for every single negative thought about yourself that you can point out, there are a hundred positive qualities that you are overlooking.

Recognize that when you accomplish something, it is not because you were lucky or because the planets aligned. You accomplished it because you are amazing, you put your knowledge and skills to use, and because you are capable of much more than that.

Finally, let's give our negative thoughts a spin with a wonderful analogy that one of my beloved Berklee teachers always uses. Imagine that your mind is a bright blue sky, in a beautiful sunny day. Understand those negative thoughts as white fluffy clouds making their way through the sky and temporarily blocking your lovely view. Don't let them ruin your day; wait for them to pass and know that your "sky" will soon be back to normal.