A message to the youth

In the past fifteen years within the world of personal development, I have spoken, guided and observed thousands of people. One-on-one, in groups, in halls full, on stages. And through all those conversations, one insight came to the fore more and more: we have lost the connection with each other. Not only with each other, but especially with ourselves.

We live in a time when knowledge is infinitely available. We read “books, listen to podcasts, devour YouTube videos, scroll through Instagram and TikTok for hours looking for answers to questions like “Who am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose of life?”

But the more we know, the less we seem to know.

The more prosperity we have, the emptier we feel.

The more connected we are online, the more we are alone offline.

We live in stories

We identify en masse with stories. Stories that were once invented or told by others through upbringing, religion, society, culture, marketing. We believe them, adopt them and live them as if they were absolute truth. We judge who thinks, believes differently or lives differently because we are so convinced that our way is the right one.

And in the meantime, an industry has emerged that teaches us how to be someone: successful, visible, perfect.

Social media is full of images of lives that are often not real. We compare ourselves to illusions and thus become even further removed from who we really are.

What do we teach our children?

We teach them:

• perform according to the standards of others
• meet expectations they never chose themselves
• always be strong
• avoid failure
• and above all: to no longer feel.

But a person is not a brand. A human being is not a performance machine.

You are not what you own, you are not your followers, your numbers, your likes, your perfect photos.

You are human. With a story. With mistakes. With dreams. With feelings.

Where did we lose connection?

We have forgotten that we are part of something bigger. Whether you call it God, the universe, the cosmos, or energy—it doesn’t matter.

What matters is being connected. With the earth. With each other. With your own heart.

Look at people like the Dalai Lama, Jesus, Gandhi. Not because they were perfect — but because the stories we tell about them breathe hope and humanity. Stories that connect instead of divide.

A message for you – if you are between 8 and 21 years old

Maybe you feel lost in all expectations. In all the books, all the videos, all the advice, all the filters, all the voices that tell you who you should be.

You may think you’re failing. That you are not enough. That you are too late. That others are further along than you.

Then know this:

There is someone who sees you when you dare to feel.

There is someone who hears you when you dare to speak.

There is someone who stands next to you when you dare to be vulnerable.

You are allowed to fail. You can change. You can start over.

You can search. You can learn. You can cry. You can be human.

What we want to build

Boost The World Foundation believes in a world in which young people do not have to survive, but are allowed to live.

A world in which we do not judge each other, but understand each other.

A world in which we learn to feel instead of perform.

A world in which stories connect instead of divide.

We can’t change everything. But we can start.

With listening. With sharing. With loving. With being human.

“May we Boost the World” by returning to connection.

by Rosanne van Zalingen
Founder of BOOST The World Foundation