Identity, being young and finding yourself in society

By Jack V Greig

Being young we all at times feel lost, confused and unable to comprehend our place in the world. It can feel like our too-big society holds endless pressures and insurmountable expectations – a blip on the radar, a grain of sand, a lonely star in the endless universe.

But you don’t have to feel this way… You can shape your own world, form your own identity and place in society. Allow me to offer my thoughts on being comfortable with yourself to propel you to achieve your dreams and contribute more to society.

Discomfort and unrest in ourselves is the main source of dissatisfaction and feelings of confusion. Most dissatisfaction begins in our own mind, and frequently this is because we feel like we are underachieving or have failed to reach a target that we have set for ourselves. We seek out utopian (our perfect life) ideals and aim for the stars. Now! There is nothing wrong with dreaming up the world, in fact it is an important attribute in an ambitious person. But how many of us have had the question asked of us; what is it you want to do with your life? Your response being: “Head of the largest corporation, to play for Manchester United or be the Secretary-General of the United Nations.” Do not limit your goals or restrict your dreaming but realize is that it is the process in achieving your goals that is the most important, and should be embraced if you can hope to be satisfied with all outcomes – let’s face it, 99% of the time not everything goes to plan!

Understand that a beautiful flower has an ugly stem, and that more often than not we must go through the more difficult times in order to experience the tremendous!

In a young life, there is nothing more terrifying but simultaneously thrilling about stepping forward in front of the pack, opening yourself to experience the world. I assure you that if you do you can dictate and create your own world, and the people around you will respect you for it. I urge you to feel the wind behind your back and live life, be excited by all moments good and bad, beautiful and ugly, really understanding them for their worth to you and your life. No longer a lonely star but the creator of your universe!

JV Greig is a Global Changemaker from Australia. He joined the network as a participant in last year’s Global Youth Summit. The areas he focuses in mainly are: human rights, poverty alleviation and climate change.