Edible Fact!
| Your reach in the world is not as big as you think. Other people do not know you as much as you think they do. Once we all accept this about ourselves, we find ourselves humbled. We will be liked for the right reasons, and we will appreciate others more. |
This was the best wakeup call I heard this week on a random podcast I tuned into. Try as I might, I cannot find the podcast or guest speaker in my listening history. Nonetheless, this woman was discussing her time as a political commentator in Washington, DC. She believed she was known. She believed herself to be popular, well-liked, and untouchable. Unfortunately, Ms. Popularity developed a drinking problem during this time. The drinking could have been related to ego or social life, or both – we may never really know. What’s important is: it took a stay in rehab to learn the reality of her situation. She walked into the healing facility, expecting fanfare and recognition by everyone in the room. And then the wakeup call happened…. NO ONE KNEW HER! She was no different than the other people in rehab with her. They did not know her net worth, the famous people she has interacted with, or the influence she once had. All they knew was she was one of them. They struggled with the same inner demons and wanted to regain some semblance of normalcy. In fact, when she was ready to go back to work again, someone offered her a job at a pizza shop to help her out. To her, this was the truest act of kindness. I am not saying don’t grow and don’t do good. I’m saying grow! Do good! But, please – be humble. And no matter who you are, realize that the people who don’t recognize you likely far outnumber those who do. I think there’s a comfort in that. Anonymity removes a tremendous amount of pressure. And if you’re really honest with yourself – living a relatively nameless life has many more perks than celebrity. So, take a load off. Embrace being just a kind human amongst countless other kind humans. |