The Absence Of Applause May Not Mean You’re Failing

If everybody had seen upfront, what Thomas Edison’s inventions would do for the world, there’s no doubt they would have applauded and rooted round the world for him right from first day he began his research work.

But no one saw his breakthrough coming.

In the lonely confines of his laboratory, he kept on labouring with his assistants through over 9,000 failed attempts, until they found the tungsten fllament and the first light bulb glowed in their faces.

Unlike A Marathon, In Life Sometimes No One Can See the Finish Line!

The problem with striving for success can sometimes be that no one has done what you want to do before i.e in your socioeconomic environment.

That lack of precedent can make people stubbornly unbelieving when you tell them the goal you want to achieve.

Even when you point out the true story of another who succeeded in doing it elsewhere, they would scoff and say “Get real: That’s XYZ country or society. Ours does not operate based on their rules!!”

Let’s think about this for a moment.

Spectators standing near the finish line of a Marathon event can tell which runner is closest to victory.

In life however, spectators around you as you work towards your goal do not enjoy a similar advantage.

They cannot see into the future – obviously.

As a result, every day, week, month or year they see you working diligently at achieving your goals, that’s mostly all they’ll see: YOU.

And in their minds they could interprete what they see as “you slaving away trying to achieve a futile goal”

It goes without saying, that the above “perception” of you would naturally not make them applaud you!

For some people, that would be okay i.e. no big deal.

But if you’re like Celia (i.e. the young lady described in the movie I’ve written about below), you’d probably be psychologically and emotionally devastated as a result of the lack of attention and applause.

The Story of A Young Lady Whose Desire for Applause/Attention Probably Got Her Killed

I once watched a movie in which detectives had to interview suspects and friends/acquaintances of a homicide victim.

The deceased young lady had been a member of a notorious church-styled cult which the police were already investigating using under cover agents.

While the police were questioning one of her female friends who had made a successful exit from the fold a year before, she told the agents “Celia needed to be liked. She needed people a little too much. And that’s why she was never able to leave.”

From reading through the books Celia had read, a police consultant later discovered scribbled notes in her copy of the founder’s published book: the notes indicated that she had been having issues with some of the church’s dogma.

That drew to mind the friend’s comment about her needing people too much.

“Could it be that she’d finally found the courage to voice her reservations openly?” they wondered.

“Maybe she was trying to leave the cult based on those grounds? Was she murdered to keep her from leaving?”

The above suggestions were logical possibilities. However, like all good stories, the movie took an unexpected turn that revealed the killer to be a non-member of the cult.

It was a legal consultant appointed by the founder himself. He did it to stop her exposing details of the affair he’d had with her, despite her being engaged to another member.

Self-Direction Is A Valuable Asset To Have

The above narrative illustrates how an individual’s lack of independent thinking and self-direction can make her prone to manipulation and exploitation at the hands of dishonest others.

When you do not have a mind of your own, others will do your thinking for you. Some will even try telling you how to act or react to the experiences you have; what to believe etc.

The truth is that you need to assert – and believe more in – yourself.

Don’t be too eager to seek the consent of others before you pursue a line of action that appeals to you.

Even better, dismiss any urge you may feel to court the approval and applause of others around you whenever you choose to follow your instincts and “do your own thing.”

Final Words

I want you to understand this: even when you’re inches away from achieving your goal, that fact may not be readily obvious to you, or your spectators.

Only when it happens does it become your reality.

That’s why when others are not applauding or commending you, it’s crucial that you do not take that to mean you’re not making progress.

Those others could be acting based on a lack of both insight and vision.

What you need to do is stay focussed on achieving what matters most i.e your goals.

Eventually they’ll see you succeed and a useful precedent would have been set.

Consequently, others after you could begin earning applause from spectators BEFORE they get to their individual finish lines.

But even if they get none, their knowledge of YOUR story could inspire them to continue until they also succeed!