Validated!!

Don’t Measure Each Day By The Harvest Gathered, Measure By The Seeds U Plant

In our digital age, external validation has quietly become a powerful force—shaping not only our decisions but also our very identities. Across all generations, from teenagers posting selfies to grandparents sharing vacation snapshots, people find themselves caught in a subtle, unending quest for approval. It’s no longer enough to simply live meaningfully; what matters most is being seen, liked, and validated by others.This relentless pursuit of validation has been made effortless by a phenomenon that now silently directs much of our lives—a new kind of compass known to the world as social media. From the comfort of our homes, a few taps allow us to share carefully curated moments, hoping for hearts, thumbs-ups, and affirming comments. It shapes what we celebrate, how we present ourselves, and even how we choose to live.Today, this influence penetrates deeply into the lives of children. Many parents, captivated by the allure of this digital compass, increasingly outsource their children’s developing sense of direction—seeking guidance from social media as if it were the most beautiful, rich, and effective teacher. Every milestone is filtered, captioned, and shared—not for the child’s memory, but for the audience’s consumption. We hand them over, figuratively, to the subscribers. “Like,” “share,” “comment,”—we give strangers permission to participate in raising our children, in defining their path, and in shaping their worth.Likewise, some educators lean heavily on social media content to supplement or even replace traditional teaching methods, believing children learn best from viral videos and online trends.

But here’s a truth that often gets lost in the noise: every life is unique. The path to success is not a well-marked highway—it’s a winding trail through unknown forests. You might follow someone’s footsteps for a while, perhaps to gain direction, to learn, to build momentum. But sooner or later, your journey will demand your own compass.What was failure for them may not be failure for you. What they celebrated as success may feel hollow in your bones. There is no universally defined formula. Success in wealth differs from success in friendship. Academic success isn’t always mirrored in career. A fulfilling relationship might not resemble anything you’ve ever seen in movies or on social media.

To a large extent, every human being is successful on their own terms. But that truth crumbles the moment we demand applause from others. A bird’s success is in its flight. A cat’s might be in its quiet grace or in the way it brings joy to those around it. But if the cat starts envying the bird, it risks losing its own beautiful life. It may even die trying to fly.The world teaches us to measure our worth by trophies, grades, salaries, followers, or praise. But Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” That quote carries more truth today than ever.

Let me remind you of a story we often overlook in its full depth—the story of the Wright brothers.Two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio. They had no formal education in engineering. No investor. No government grant. Just curiosity, persistence, and failure after failure. In 1903, while the rest of the world mocked them or ignored them, they launched something the world said was impossible. They flew.But here’s the part that isn’t told often enough: they didn’t invent flight overnight. It wasn’t glamorous. They crashed. They rebuilt. And they worked in obscurity while others, with more recognition and money, failed trying to do what they eventually achieved.If the Wright brothers had listened to the crowd or measured their success by the standards of their time, we might not have seen the birth of modern aviation. The beauty of their story isn’t just that they flew—it’s that they had the audacity to define success on their own terms.

Success doesn’t have to shout to be real. It doesn’t need to go viral or fit into someone else’s mold. Sometimes, success is quietly healing from battles no one knows you fought. Sometimes, it’s simply showing up every day when giving up feels easier. Sometimes, it’s writing a single honest sentence in a world full of noise.And just like the most beautiful fig may hide a worm inside, appearances can deceive. Perfection is an illusion. What truly matters is not what others see, but the life you actually live—fully and authentically.We often perceive life as a flat, two-dimensional surface, missing the vast depth beyond our senses. There’s so much more beneath and beyond what we notice, much like the hidden layers beneath the visible world. So plant your seeds, tend to them patiently, and let them grow in their own time. The harvest will come—not always in ways you expect, but often richer and more meaningful than you could imagine.Trust the unseen journey. Embrace the imperfect beauty. Your story, with all its quiet victories, holds a depth that only you can truly know. Don’t run after external validation—true fulfillment comes from within, from honoring your own path, no matter how unseen or uncelebrated it may be.

And whatever you do, don’t outsource your soul, your duties, your responsibilities—which demand YOU.