While I was in school there was this friend I made. He came to me to ask me a couple of questions and to put him through some things because he started a bit late. That was how we because friends. Along the line, I noticed that he struggled academically, but he was very smart. So I looked at his lifestyle and found out that he was not even studying his books. So I advised him to cut all distractions, and fix a study timetable for himself. He withdrew from the distractions and even from social media, just strictly academics. That particular session, his GPA hit 3.5. Then by the next session, it was already in 4.0. He worked quietly and achieved his success. Not every win makes loud sound. Some you just have to work in silence.
In this world, it seems like a lot of people are only interested in applause, likes, and public recognition, so much that even the idea of winning silently can seem unusual. Some people even have the mindset that success will only matter if it is celebrated loudly, announced publicly, or displayed for all to see. But what they fail to understand is that some of the most powerful victories actually happen in silence, and away from the crowd and from the public. Learning to win quietly is a very fundamental tool to build long-term success, character and maturity. If you cannot sit quietly to build yourself, you may not achieve the growth that you need. You do not have to focus on chasing public applause, just build yourself. There is a level to which you will build yourself, you will not need to announce your success, it will be your success that will announce you.
Winning quietly means that you are making progress without the need for external validation. It is about choosing result over recognition, and choosing growth over noise. When a woman is pregnant for example, she does not go about announcing it to the public so as to seek their validation. When she delivers, the result will announce itself. A lot of people just feel the urge to announce every step and every little progresses just to prove their worth. I am not saying that celebration is bad. Celebration is definitely good and very expected, but you should not be over-dependent on external approval, so that you will not be trapped by it. Some people have the mindset that if people have not applauded them, then they have not made progress, and they find themselves caught in a web of constantly seeking public validations.
Each time you discover that your motivation for doing something is tied to people's praise, then you may already started to lose direction. Okay imagine if your motivation is tied to applause and it stops coming, that means you would lose motivation. This is why you need to be moved by purpose and not by attention. A lot of the great achievements you see today began by quiet steps, often taken alone. These can include late nights, personal sacrifices, unseen discipline, persistence, and other silent progresses. These are what build strength. When you learn to keep building even when the applause is not coming, you will develop resilience and self-respect. Always trust the process even if no one is watching and even if no one is cheering you up.
Learning to win quietly also protects you from unnecessary pressure and comparison. If you constantly broadcast your goals and what you want to do, you will invite opinions, a lot of expectations, and may also invite negativities. But silence gives you the freedom to focus. It gives you the room to grow without distractions. Even if you make mistakes, they will not be thrown so open that they will become subject of public judgement. You have to understand that not every plan that you want to take needs announcement, not every step needs public validation, and not every victory needs an audience.
Winning quietly also teaches humility. You do not feel the need to prove yourself because your confidence is internal, and not tied to someone else. This kind of humility does not show weakness, rather it shows strength under control. When you win quietly, you will inspire more people, because the success feels genuine and not performative. After all, it is the result that substantiates the processes.
Thanks for reading
Thanks friend @seckorama