We make Vines, YouTube videos, and Snapchat stories. We post pictures on Instagram and Facebook. We make 140 character long tweets.
We do all of this for a like, a comment, a reaction. We want to be known, not just by those around us but by the world.
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We are constantly seeking for something bigger, something better, something that will get their attention. Anything that will change their focus to us. We strive for the audience, the attention. We want the five seconds of fame, but we want it longer than those five seconds.
But what do we do when the world doesn't applaud for us? What do we do when the world that once applauded no longer does?
We feel lost and alone. We feel like a failure. All of these feelings can make us become depressed. We push people away and crawl into a dark hole of self-pity. However, just because we do not receive the world's applause, does not mean we have to feel this way.
We need to realize that not everyone is going to like us and that's alright. Our self-worth is not based on what other people think of us. It is not based on how much attention the world gives us. We are worth far greater than likes and comments on social media. We are not who the world says we are. We are our own person, defined by our actions and words. We are the good we leave in the world, no matter how big or small.
David Williams once said, "I'm terribly attention-seeking. It's very different once you get all this attention, though, because then you want to control it. And you can't exactly."
We want to control everything in our lives, and how and when we receive attention is one of those things. However, there are things in life we cannot control. We can't control other people, especially what they think or how they feel.
Our reaction to the lack of attention is what will define us. If we take it in strides, refuse to let it get us down, and allow it to strengthen us, we will become a better person for it.
