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I heard it requoted by one American self made millionaire, "Work quietly and your success will advocate for you." On most days, I can relate to that quote, but the true importance behind that phrase in real life leaves me a little confused.
There was one year where I was putting in plenty of hours at the office. Working late, taking work home with me, fixing little mistakes that other people didn’t notice or seemed to think were important. I kept on waiting for someone to say thank you for being such a great worker. No one did. There was no feedback at all. It was very quiet, which is the reason why I was constantly checking the company's WhatsApp group page for something from someone.
I also have another example of working too much and talking too much. That same year I kept all of my plans a secret until they were solidified. One of my plans did not work out and when I saw a friend after that I was somewhat embarrassed because I had told him that would happen.
Working silently makes me feel noble, but working silently makes me feel very lonely, so I usually start to think that I must be invisible. I can also think that I must be very impatient. I think that I may be incorrect in my thoughts. I think that if your success is great enough that it will be heard by everyone in the world. Or you will only be heard by people who have already heard of you. When I bought my new cell phone, I have not even told anyone about it yet. A week later a friend noticed it and asked me how I was able to afford to buy it. I felt great about that moment and if I had posted on social media, I would not have felt nearly as great.
I still do work quietly, and I still question myself. But these days though, I’m learning to be fulfilled by the amount of work that I put into my job.