Uncertainty of Acclaim
“…What matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim.”
-Count Rostov, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
One thing is sure: there will never be a shortage of options for where our attention goes.
I can just as easily pick up my phone and spend 30 minutes in the endless scroll of social media as I can in the chapters of a novel.
There are endless choices these days.
Though it is a choice I rarely make without forethought, I can just as easily choose to sit down and write.
This morning, I am writing in an attempt to honor a commitment I made in a moment of clarity and aspiration; to share things that mean something to me, to shed light on my journey in the hope that it will brighten some small part of yours.
I’m not writing because I feel like it; I rarely “feel like it.” I’m writing because I know that I want to be a writer, and to be a writer one must write.
Today I showed up. It turns out that it’s scary for me to show up. Every. Single. Time.
Yesterday, I saw this quote:
“We grow fearless when we do the things we fear.”
I’ll let you know if ever become fearless.
What I CAN do is be courageous, despite the uncertainty of acclaim. Today, and again tomorrow.
And if you’re paying attention, thank you. I know you have endless options and it means a lot that you gave me a moment.
Just one more thing, before you go: what would you shine a light on today?
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