Work Without Applause
“Be prepared to work without applause.” - Ernest Hemingway
The work within itself is enough. You don’t need external validation. You don’t need a pat on the back. That comes from within you.
Recently I wrote this blog post on Dr. Katalin Kariko. How her work led the charge towards creating COVID-19 vaccines. How she worked for years with no applause.
Or Dwayne Wade, professional basketball star, now retired, of the Miami Heat. How in 2006 he was up late the night before a big game practicing his free throws. With an empty gym and no fans clapping and yelling, he went to work, without the applause.
The musician that practices their cords or scales.
The artist practices their technique with paint or pencil.
The dancer, their moves.
The actor/actress their lines.
The purpose and point of the Hemingway quote is that work is for you, not anyone else. THE work could very well be the preparation needed for what’s ahead. Work is to provide for yourself and your family. Work is to serve others. Work could be creating something or taking something that already exists and making it better. Work can be the book, the movie you’re recording with an IPhone.
Don’t go chasing the applause. Don’t go chasing the praise and the pats on the back. Otherwise, you may become someone you are not by chasing the applause. You end up doing work for them and not for you. Don’t let them decide what you do, how you do it and when, just because their applauding you. Work because you want to. Do the work the right way, by giving it all you have.
Thought Provoking Questions : What work have you chased because of the “applause?” Now, what work can you do today, without the applause?
Dan Roman is a writer that releases a daily meditation. A quick read. Sharing wisdom and asking thought-provoking questions. Influenced by the obstacles, success and failures in life and of others. Using history, books, current events, philosophy, and ancient wisdom. These writings are actionable, thought-provoking, designed to make your life better.
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