The Importance of ‘Me’

I’m currently typing on the keypad of my computer. This feels a bit foreign to me, it seems that it has been a few weeks since I’ve written an article about something of any true substance. Recently, I’ve been feeling like there’s no reason for me to write. Like I have no true motivation to do something that I’m passionate about. But, I spent a lot of that down time watching Netflix, of course, and YouTube videos. Of those videos, one stood out to me. I enjoy watching Tedx Talks. If you’re unfamiliar with the topic of Tedx Talks, they’re defined as “local speakers presenting to local audiences about everything from politics to pollination.” This particular Tedx Talk was held by “HampdenWomen” in Baltimore, Maryland.

One of the speakers, Erika Alston, spoke about the many trials she overcame throughout her life and how it led her to that stage. Erika’s story about inspiring complete strangers by just living her life and that motivated me to write this article. I decided to put my fingers on the keys and create sentences that might motivate a few people out there. See, Erika talked about this woman who was of no extravagant nature, who was a complete mess. She was a drug addict, homeless, an unreliable mom, a mess. “Homeless, hopeless and broken.” That’s what Erika called her. But, this “she” was Erika, before she overcame her biggest obstacle and became the Erika she was meant to be. Erika got rid of her old self and became a radio personality. That Erika was trying her best to be reliable and strong enough to live her best life. She tried to become a better “her” which resulted in her being fired from that radio job. After losing her job she started her own support group, The Be Extraordinary Project, for young women in recovery. Then, while trying to make a living for herself, Erika landed a new job which then led to “The Safe Kids Zone”, a safe space for children in the Baltimore, Maryland area. 

Although this Tedx Talk is about overcoming addiction, I also took away “the importance of me” or as Erika said, “the greatest love story ever.” This Tedx Talk made me think about the time I took away from pretty much everything that didn’t involve “me”. I chose to do things that made me feel good, even if they negatively affected the things or people I cared about. Sometimes, neglecting the things that everybody else thinks should be so important to you, to focus on “you”, feels so good that you forget that you have actual responsibilities. You forget that there are people counting on you to do this or that. You mute all of the chats on your phone and ignore the messages about the important things that need to get done. Instead, you focus on the things you think are important like Netflix or tacos at 11 PM because that just feels better than doing everything else. 

There’s really no message in this article besides the acceptance of my lack of performance in these past few weeks. I took some time to realize that I’m just trying my best, even if my best isn’t the best. Sometimes I don’t have anything to write about, and sometimes I want to eat tacos. The importance of me is way more important than everything else. The same goes for you.