Find something within you & offer it to the world around you!

by Dr. Danny Recio

Young adulthood is a crucial time to shape one’s identity. We know that. And we know that when young adults feel lost and strangers to themselves is bad news. There’s a lot that can be said about how young adults develop their identity, but for us here at The Bridge one avenue is fundamental: you find something within you, a gift, a talent, a skill, and you figure out a way to have that fulfill a need in the world around you.

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 Why is something so simple so powerful at the same time? Because...

• Humans have a deep need to matter; this means to feel valued and to add value. In other words, we want to be appreciated and feel accepted in a group, and at the same time want to be recognized as a contributing unique individual in that group. 
• ​Skills, talents and gifts that flow from within feel pleasurable and often effortless when put to action. We all have character traits and tendencies that make us more suitable for some tasks, relationships, environments, etc. When we become aware of those and find the courage to let those inner skills and preferences organize our life choices, people tend to feel energized, motivated, and fulfilled. 

• At The Bridge, we provide a safe and fun real-life laboratory for our students to experiment all kinds of ways of being in the world. They meet all kinds of people from different walks of life, they are exposed to different challenges, and they are offered numerous individualized opportunities for them to figure out when they feel “in the zone” or “at home” in the world, with themselves, with what they are doing or with how they interact with others. As guides and companions in their journey, we are attuned to noticing when they seem to be in that zone or that flow, when they are “at home” doing something.