“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry S. Truman

How much of what you do, would you say is ego driven? One indicator of this is whether you await or actively seek the approbation of others when you accomplish things and then don’t feel fulfilled if you don’t get it. 

Feedback is useful and important, but predicating that which you do on the likelihood of getting personal praise greatly limits your effectiveness in living. Your scope of personal accomplishment is not based solely on what you alone can do, rather, it is magnified by your ability to achieve meaningful work in concert with others.

It can be useful to ask yourself how well you get along with others when engaged in the business of achieving. Looking honestly at how you feel when others receive credit for things you’ve done, for instance, is revealing of the state of your sense of self. Conversely, how you handle credit given to you for another’s accomplishment reveals to what degree you’ve embraced selflessness.

If you truly understand your value, you would not see it as being based on outer recognition. Your true value is absolute, whether or not it is recognized or appreciated by others. That said, you must let it be revealed for your value to have any meaning or impact.

There is much to be done, always. Why not endeavor to maximize your impact by optimizing your ability to work with others? You alone can only achieve so much. It is basic math.

When the glory stops at you, so too does the power. Without power, you won’t get very far in life. Moreover, your fulfillment is directly correlated with your ability to assist others to their fulfillment. Insignificance derives from selfishness; meaningfulness derives from shared creative work.

Photo by @dylandgillis on Unsplash