Am I Broken?
By Steve Gahagen
Ann Landers, the legendary advice columnist whose words graced newspapers for over five decades, once revealed that the most common question she received wasn’t about relationships, money, or etiquette.
It was this:
“What’s wrong with me?”
It’s a haunting question—simple in form, but heavy with emotion. It reminds me of a young boy beginning to grapple with his spinal cord injury who once turned to his father and asked quietly, “Am I broken?”
Recently, we launched a Strengths Mentoring Club for teen girls at a residential home for children. These young women have experienced more upheaval than most of us can imagine—many have been in 12 or more foster homes. While they may not bear visible injuries, they carry the invisible scars of loss, instability, and abandonment.
And somewhere inside, many must quietly wonder: “What’s wrong with me?”
At Play to Your Strengths, we seek to flip that question.
We focus on what is right with young people.
We help them see not what they are missing, but the riches they already possess.
Because at the heart of mental and emotional wellness is this simple, yet profound truth:
Knowing who we are—and being okay with that. Better yet, being amazed by how we’ve been created.
We all deserve a moment when we are in awe of how we’ve been wired. A moment when we realize we are not broken… we are brilliantly designed.
And while life may hand us challenges, when we begin to see and name our strengths, those fears—the ones that whisper we are not enough—begin to fade. In their place?
Confidence. Hope. Courage.
Because once we discover what’s right with us, we begin to write a better story.
Questions to Consider:
What causes us to wonder whether there is something wrong with us?
What might cause young people to feel like they are broken?
What are three things you will do this week to affirm others, particularly young people?