When I write content, the feedback varies:
My overly qualified brother: “Good.”
Supportive friends: “Vera level” (aka “Awesome”).
First-time readers: “Looks interesting.”
Regular readers: “You deserve more.”
My mentor: “Needs improvement.”
Clients: “Let’s fine-tune it a bit.”
Non-English readers/writers: “I don’t understand a thing.”
And most importantly,
There are loads of people, who don’t even know I exist.
No matter what I write, some people will praise me to the skies, while others won’t understand a word.
This applies to celebrities too, right?
I love Cillian Murphy, but my mom doesn’t even know he exists.
So, what should we be truly proud of?
Even for actors, out of 100%, only 50% know they exist.
Out of that 50%, maybe 20% are inspired to become better actors, while the other 30% just watch their movies without changing their lives.
If we could be of some use to everyone on this tiny planet, which is nearly impossible, we could feel truly proud.
If not, then what’s the point?
That’s when I realized I might be mixing up two different emotions.
When I set a high bar for my writing and achieve it, I feel satisfied.
This feeling is internal and I couldn’t name the feeling, but it feels good.
That’s not pride.
Pride, in my opinion, comes from external validation. It’s outside.
Like i said before, it varies.
For some people, we will be an inspiration.
For some, we will be a hindrance.
As long as there are people to whom we are a hindrance, even if we don’t realize it, I don’t think we can be proud of anything.
Realizing this has made me humble lately, not because I’m being modest,
But because I am doing my work and this is what I’m only capable of.
So, there’s nothing truly to be proud of.
Again, this is my cup of tea.
What’s in your cup?
