"Your worth isn't defined by a position"

 

Your worth isn’t defined by a position

“At 58, they told me I was too old for the job… and for the first time, I wasn’t ashamed to cry.”

I spent my whole life working in an office. I wasn’t a boss, but I wasn’t invisible either. I filed, organized, helped the newcomers. I wasn’t the heart of the company, but I was a steady piece of it. Then one day, they called me into a five-minute meeting and told me I no longer “fit” the company’s vision. They handed me a letter, gave me an awkward smile… and showed me the door.

Walking home with a cardboard box in my hands was more humiliating than any failure I’ve ever experienced. My kids were grown and living their lives. My wife hugged me, but didn’t know what to say. I sat in the kitchen for days, wondering what to do with so much empty time. I felt discarded. Broken. Invisible.

One ordinary Saturday, I went for a walk and passed a small neighbourhood school. I saw a woman struggling to move some heavy desks. I helped her without thinking. She asked if I was a volunteer. I said no, but I had time. She told me to come back Monday.

So I did.

And I kept going.

First I repaired chairs. Then I sorted supplies. Then I started showing some kids how to use an old computer. I wasn’t paid. They didn’t offer me a contract. But every time a child said “Thank you, teacher,” something in me lit up.

Today, I’m 61. I still go to that little school. I don’t care about fancy job titles or business cards anymore. Because I finally understood: your worth isn’t defined by a position—it’s defined by what you give when the world thinks you have nothing left.

Sometimes, you get thrown out of the wrong place… just to arrive at the one where you truly matter.

– Ramiro