What No One Sees

You pour your whole soul into something. Hours of your life. Your focus. Your being. Everything.

And in your mind, you have anticipation of a reaction for others to validate the feat you just over came.

And you get crickets. 

But let's be honest. As you were toiling away, working hard at your endeavor, everyone else around you was locked into various stages of their goal, their own chaos, their own drama.... Their own life. Their own world. And while you expected a response from them, they didn't notice. 

So now, as you stare at everyone else with their eyes and attention everywhere else, you can choose to take it several different ways. Because that's what life is -- A series of choices you make every day, sometimes every hour of every day. There will always be doubts, second-guessing, and wishing. There will always be the critics, the nay-sayers, and the demons. And each of us is the main character of our life, and each of us think that our own journey is the single most important thing. Life events and everything out of our own control direct us on our otherwise mundane path. 

So, how do you take the silence? 

Because that is just as important as to how you take the success and celebrations. 

Today, thanks to technology, we are even more connected than we have been before. We don't have to wait days for a letter to arrive. We don't have to rely on being home to accept a phone call. We don't have to wait days for photos to be developed. We get instant gratification these days. Want something? We don't have to drive to a store to get it. We can have it delivered in an hour (If you live in the city).

And it seems, with all of this "freeing up" of time, we have less and less of it. Everyone is so busy. Everyone is so preoccupied. And we lose that connection.  Even though you constantly live on social media, tik-toking your hours posting videos of a skit you did for a trend, or journaling your life by the hour on Instagram, or arguing with people who may be bots on Facebook over totally random things, you aren't connected to those in the same room as you. And those people become strangers. We are so busy "Keeping Up" that we don't notice anyone else. We come home, flip on the TV, and binge-watch a series. We watch the news and cuss out the opposing side. We know more about celebrities and athletes than we do our extended family.  

And it's funny how we still want validation and get angry over those very family members who are not being as excited about our moment than they are because they only liked your post and didn’t comment on it or share it. And it's funny how we just pass things off real life, in person, interactions as someone just wanting attention, or someone being overly emotional or a myriad of other shrug-offs as our eyes are glued to the screen.

We honestly don't see things anymore for we are far too busy. We are lost and divided in the current narrative. We avert our eyes to the struggles and press the "buy" button to the trend of whatever is being sold. We don't listen to understand, we hear to defend, to argue, the name call -- To bully while we are screaming foul over being bullied. All the while talking over and interrupting the conversations because WE want our voice “heard” first. We want to have that ‘mic drop’ victory (that I am recording live on social media so I can get likes and comments from complete strangers and share it to Tik-Tok.)

And all the while, we still don't see it. We still don't get it. Because we are lost in our own reality -- Whichever reality that is in. And by golly, if people don't "like" or "share" than we ourselves have no worth. We are invisible. We are nobody.

And while we are wallowing in our own self pity, we don't see the work being put it by those in a "different" reality than our own. We don't see them overcoming. We don't see the tears in solitude. We didn't see the rejection. We didn't see the struggle. We don't see them picking themselves up and bettering themselves. We don't see them digging in and pushing harder. We don't see the hours they are spending on focus. We don't see it. We just see the results, the aftermath, and then we cry foul because we didn't see the work it took, and we expect to be given their success because everyone is entitled to it.

But here's the thing. Life is hard. Life is easy. Life is not fair. Life gives opportunity. Life is what you make of it. And while you can complain and whine and bemoan how held back you are, and demand to be equal to those who are doing the work, in silence, without accolades, the honest truth is it will never happen and you will always feel that lack. 

Because you get out of life what you put into it. Same with education, work success, thriving relationships, a well mannered dog, and everything else -- You only get out of it what you put into it. If you half-ass it, you get half-assed results. 

 And success is something that is only seen at the end of the story. What no one sees is the journey, the hardships, the number of times you've given up but decided to give it one more try. While it doesn't come quickly, or as fast as we want it, success does come to those who don't quit. 

And every moment. Every hour. Every day. You make the decision that either takes you closer to the life you wish to have, the goal, the endgame. Or you choose to lose yourself in something that won't matter, the whims of others (who may or may not even be real people).  Choose to better yourself. Choose to do the hard work. Choose the slow and steady.  Avoid the drama. Avoid the chaos. Avoid the time wasting. 

Because it's what no one sees that determines what you become. 

I do live for the day my work is noticed, my work is recognized, and my stories are known through my books. But I am also working to raise children who will become adults, and our household knows the daily struggle of mental health. Houses are made to live in, laundry and dishes and mess is a given. But choosing what to focus on, every day, is what makes a wonderful and fulfilling life in a constantly changing and challenging world.  

Choose your moments wisely.

Find all of my books in one easy place at www.amazon.com/author/embrooks. They are available on Kindle, in paperback, on Kindle Unlimited, and now on Audible as audiobooks! Learn more about Em Brooks books at www.TheAuthorEmBrooks.com

There is always an adventure in an Em Brooks book -- Let's get started today.