Bottom of the totem pole

I'm probably going to get in trouble for writing this, but it's on my mind and I'm gonna say it. Some people will probably say I'm selfish and rude, and maybe I am, but it's still bothering me. So you can stop reading here if you don't want to hear about it.

Sometimes I feel like I'm at the bottom of the totem pole to those around me. I'm usually a pretty easy-going person and I don't get upset very often. I don't really care about a lot of things. By that I mean that I pretty much just go with the flow on most things. However, once in awhile when something is really important to me I can have a strong opinion about the matter. When that happens, I usually voice my opinion to whomever is in charge of that particular situation.

What bugs me is that the past several times I have done that, my opinion has been disregarded and I have basically been told that my opinion doesn't matter. I realize that I am not the most important person to everyone. And I don't expect to be. But I'm tired of being the least important person to everyone. It doesn't feel very good to be told that people don't care what you think or that they would rather upset you than anyone else. Or that the way you feel about something is wrong and you'll get over it.

I really try hard to be mindful of how my decisions affect those around me. Maybe I don't always do the best job, but I really try. And so it hurts when my feelings and opinions are overlooked. Even though something might not be important to someone else, it doesn't mean it's not important to me. And I just want to be respected for that.

But anyway, life goes on and I do get over it. But sometimes I just want to feel important and like my feelings and opinions matter.