Along with “why am I here?” goes “why should I bother to stay here?” The answer is: because you are not emotionally alone. What I mean by emotionally alone is that there are others who either depend on you somehow, like you, love you, or have been influenced by you in some way. You’d be surprised how many people would show up at your funeral.

Just about all of us have been in a nobody loves me state of mind; this is not as unique as you think. If you read about famous men and women whom we think are infallible, you will realize they had moments of weakness and despair that led them to think they were worthless. The bad self image monster appears at any age and in many different situations. Ever been rejected—rather, ignored—by an employer after what you considered a great interview? Did you ever not make the team you were sure would be seeking your great skills? Got a “D” on that test you knew you would receive an easy “A”? Did you get fired or laid off? None of these enhance our self-esteem.

COMPARISONS, COMPARISONS

A great disease that we all face: we compare ourselves to others constantly. You may do this on a subconscious level; we all do. Look at how successful Herbie is. Eloise has it made, now that she married that handsome doctor who is athletic, sweet, sensitive, intelligent, leaps buildings with a pogo stick, cooks duck a l’orange on weekends, loves kids, dogs, cats, elderly roaches, little old ladies, and even works at the local mission part-time. So what? You’re not Eloise—or Jack, or Mary, or Frances, or Melonesius; you’re you, and there’s only one you. Even if you’re a twin, triplet, or more, you’re you, and there’s only one of those.

Now that you know all these obvious things that we all must remind ourselves periodically, don’t measure yourself by anyone else. It’s absurd when you think about it. Even if you’re in the same gene pool, you’re a different swimmer in it. Even if you look like your father or mother, you still have a different set of unique properties. Why should you be like your neighbor, colleague, or spouse? A common malady is to feel low because you cannot measure up to someone else’s accomplishments or appearances. So, you didn't’t get the job; Mary did. So, you didn’t get the promotion, Will did. You were rejected by that person you had your eye on for months; he or she is going out with someone else. Be realistic. None of these events mean you’re worthless. You may feel worthless, but your mind lies. Think about it:

MANY BATTLES RAGE IN YOUR MIND, AND ONLY THERE.

Look at the guy sitting next to you on the subway. Does he feel worthless, too? Of course, you’ll never know unless you ask him (don’t). Likely, he has his own battles, but again, in his mind only; they’re not raging outside of there. Identify he source of your own battles and realize they’re not universal; the guy next to you has no idea what battles rage in your mind, nor will he ever. Feeling worthless is a personal battle that is fought in the battlefield called the mind. No explosions; no rockets; no blood; no bullets; no deaths.

FEELINGS OF WORTHLESSNES ARE TEMPORARY

There’s an old song titled: “I’ll Never Smile Again”; FALSE. You will smile again. If you think back, remember the upset-happy cycle throughout your life, starting when you were a baby. Tragedies, such as being hungry, brought about great strife that made you cry; however, remember (well, maybe not) how happy you were when you were finally fed? Then you cried again later, repeating the cycle.