Have you ever lost your identity? A couple years ago, when I was sixteen years old, I got kicked out of my grandparents house because of my grandpa having heart issues and me being a little too rambunctious. I ended up moving to Washington with my dad and my brother. This really hurt, although I accepted it, because I never really had a good enough relationship with my father. Also to add, I had not been with my dad for over two years and my brother lived in Washington with him for a year before me.

During the summer that I was in Washington, I had little to no friends, and I became depressed and consumed with boredom. Not to mention, we were living off of my survivor’s benefits and EBT, which really was no cash after rent and gas. There were not a lot of things that I could do to have a purpose, due to the fact that I also lived an hour away from the city, so I was not able to work at any job that was suitable for a person my age.

Three long summer months of nothing to do and really nobody to talk to, and I really had no clue what to do with myself, until football finally came around. I finally started talking to people and became friends with some of them, even though most everyone was nice. This everyday gathering of bonding with my friends was becoming very enlightening. Regarding the fact that I was enlightened, I also had the feeling that I had gained some sort of purpose that I have had from football, although this one was more special. Our football team also got third place in our division and that really did make me happy.

That group of friends really carried that school year, and I am forever grateful for becoming part of the football team in the 2023 season. So, basically, my point is that, if you are struggling with your purpose in life, then the biggest thing to do is become part of the community. Whether this be your job or school, or maybe you are not even employed. I highly encourage you to search for your purpose. If I have learned one thing from being mature: life without a purpose is not life. If you do not have some sort of long-term enjoyment that you have to work just a little bit for, then you will most likely feel useless, like I did. Life is all about finding your purpose, and nobody said that it could happen easily. Being part of the community is a very broad area when it comes to being an adult. This does not have to mean that you do stuff for the town, it just means that you are involved in your workplace or with fellow members of society.

The feeling of being part of a group that accomplishes something is a great reward to search for, and it could most likely be part of your career. I just hope that I can create an understanding that you really need people to be happy and you cannot meet people without putting in a little effort. I hope that I inspire you to go and get out of your comfort zone for just a little bit and find some people and bond with them. I know talking is hard, but you really have to find common interests and try hard! To be good at anything you have to put forth effort. I finally put in effort with people, and I received great friendship. The only other thing I may add is that people are always going to be ugly, and you have to use your best judgement to find if you should really talk to that person or not. All in all, find your people and life is easier.

© Maciah. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.