Everybody’s somebody’s everything; nobody is nothing – Chance The Rapper

18 months or so ago, we asked people to share with us the lyrics that helped pick them up when they were down, and someone wrote this. I’d not really listened to Chance The Rapper before (other than a sick cover of the Arthur theme song), but this had me intrigued, and when I listened to it, I instantly knew why someone had shared this song.

I won’t go on too much about how good Chance The Rapper is musically and lyrically (though I do think he’s flippin’ great), and instead just have a quick think about that one line that was shared with us.

Everybody’s somebody’s everything; nobody is nothing

Sometimes it’s easy to feel a bit unloved or a bit worthless – and heck, sometimes it’s more than that, sometimes you feel totally worthless or utterly unloved and unloveable. But the truth is you’re super unique. You play a role in this infinitely big universe that no-one else can do. Maybe you know how to make your best friends laugh like no-one else can. Maybe you’re the brave one in a  group who asks the question that everyone secretly wanted to know the answer to but were too scared to ask themselves. Maybe you smile at strangers on the street and make their day. Or maybe just by existing, you’ve made a difference in the lives of everyone you see: teachers, your family, your friends. It might not always feel like it, but you’ve got infinite potential and can do so much to make other people’s lives better.

I’ve got a lil niece who’s the absolute cutest thing in the world. Every time I get to see her or FaceTime with her (ignoring how wild it is that a 3 year old can work an iPad) it makes my day. She doesn’t know it – she’s just doing her and getting on with her little life, which mostly revolves around pirates. Which is amazing. I guess what I’m getting at with this is the fact that she doesn’t need to do or say anything in particular. Just her being her means everything to me. And in the same way, you don’t need to do or say anything outstanding; you don’t need to change the world. Just by being you, you can be making someone get as soppy as I do when I see my niece.

There’s that other saying that I’ve seen floating around a bit online too:

To the world, you’re just one person. But to one person, you’re the world

And while it can seem like you’re just lost in a crowd of billions of other people on this planet,

We obviously have a big celebrity culture, and care loads about the lives of strangers we see online or in magazines, but the most important thing is caring about the people around you – and them caring about you in return. Even if it’s just one person (but I can pretty much guarantee you it’s way more than that) by you being here, literally just existing, you might be doing so much more than you realise.

It’s funny because we often think about how much we appreciate the people around us – when they’re kind, when they help us, when they listen to us – but don’t always tell them. Let them know what they mean to you; how much you appreciate all the little quirks that make them who they are, and so important in your life.

And for what it’s worth, I’m glad you exist. Because just by being here and reading this, it means you’re part of this journey towards being stronger, that we’re all in together.