High School REACT

We are not meant to ignore our talents and we should seek to live out our full potential. However, living out your full potential also is about living out your full potential for positive mental health. We must broaden our view of success to include positive mental health as a component of how we define success in the world. Otherwise our desire for worldly success can run roughshod and ruin our mental health outcomes.    The desire for worldly recognition, in itself, can lead to a mental health crisis. It causes confusion. We want to know who we are and where we stand when it comes to ranking and worldly standards. But worldly standards are not necessarily comprehensive ones. Nor are they accurate reflections of our inherent worth and dignity. They mislead us. Focusing on self-inflation as the singular object of life causes continual unrest and ruin.

God has placed gifts in each and every one of us, waiting to be given to others. When we give, the masks come off and what becomes very apparent is the very image of God in us. In allowing our gifts to be received by others, we come to see ourselves. When we are received well by others, we see our human dignity. We come to appreciate and respect ourselves in unexpected ways. And as we know from REACT.. (Respect, Empathy, Acceptance, Courage, and Trust), self-respect is an essential component for positive mental health.  Serving others is what will help you see yourself, see your self-worth. In giving to others, we come to know ourselves and what gifts we have to offer. Seeking to serve others will renew our outlook on life, shine a path forward, and get us through challenging times.