When You are Not Famous…Or Rich !!

The world pays keen attention and ponders over your visionary concepts only when you are “someone”. Else, you are just a neighborhood fellow trying to talk smart.

We are too busy with our daily routines and struggles. Not too many can afford to spend their leisure hours deeply reflecting on what you “preached”. Unless you need to have a high-paying job. You should have established social credibility. A celebrated author, renowned scientist, popular sportsman, business personality, or a political godfather. Essentially, you need to be “someone”. Creativity has no credibility unless it draws you hefty profits. Right from ‘Day 1’.

“Perfection is no small thing, but it is made up of small things.” — Michelangelo once said.

Here’s the inside scoop. Wondering what his mother replied back? “Yeah…smart fellow…now get me some eggs and clear the trash bin!”

The Tryst with “Commonness”

The greatness and gravity of such thoughtful quotes get dramatically fizzled out when the recipient reacts with bland commonness and indifference.

The world listens to you and ponders over your visions only when you are “someone”. Else, you are just a neighborhood fellow trying to talk smart.

We are too busy with our daily routines and struggles. Not too many can afford to spend their leisure hours deeply reflecting on what you “preached”. Unless you establish social credibility as a celebrated author, renowned scientist, popular sportsman, business personality, or a political godfather. Essentially, you need to be “someone”.

That’s when your smartass one-liners are treated as “famous quotes”. And people take you seriously. Apparently boring historians in horn-rimmed spectacles indulge in heated debates trying to unearth the deepest meaning that might be concealed within a simple “famous quote”. Perspectives, analysis, and arguments flow in. Obviously, you need to be “someone” to get that kind of time and attention from society.

The Feeling of a Bland Orgasm

Now, if you are reading this, I can safely assume that you aren’t a “someone” yet. So you are just like me. Aspiring to be a “someone”. The journey from Michelangelo to “The Legendary Michelangelo” is a long and challenging one. You definitely need to step out of conventional ‘happy paths’ and pursue your visions. And that’s when you feel the pinch. The first few years are like a bland orgasm. A sense of mild fulfillment sets in. However, the associated challenges don’t really make you feel ecstatic.

May I have your Attention Please

Thanks for your attention so far. It makes me feel like a 0.01% ‘someone’.

Michelangelo or the likes attained the stature of ‘someone’ through sheer brilliance. For regular people like you and me; we come across ordinary people within our periphery who have become ‘someone’. Mostly in contextual situations. Such as your boss at the office, the client manager, the local political leader, and definitely your mother-in-law. They are always right. And you are obliged to listen to them patiently. Even when the person is oozing out an aura of sheer nonsense. Because they are ‘someone’.

For example, when you began the internship at a corporate firm. Count the number of your colleagues and bosses who cared to listen to your opinions and ideas? Very few. Is it because you were dumb? No. Because you weren’t ‘someone’.

On the contrary, your manager, the bald guy with a constipated face and vague non-conclusive opinions; he manages to get a room full of very attentive listeners. Why? Is he really smart (or interesting)? No. Because right now, he is a ‘someone’ within the corporate context.

It is hard to follow your dreams especially when your current arrangement makes life comfortable for you and your family. Considering the stiff competition clogging the digital marketplace, startups are prone to crash fail. When everyone promises to offer something ‘unique’, the uniqueness of the ‘unique’ is somewhat lost. However, your visions can transform into a ‘success’ story only when you are determined to be ‘someone’.

Originally published at http://wordskraft.com on January 17, 2018.