Dear Poet,
I’ve sought purpose in many places – from my work to the way my art is received. It’s the external validation that is so alluring. With a like or a kind word, my efforts are affirmed as meaningful and thus, it feels as if I am.
I.
The trouble with borrowed meaning
is that it disappears when the applause fades.
II.
You were not born
to chase attention
just as the moon
was not created
to chase the light
of the sun.
III.
There is poetry in persistence
and a quiet faith in returning
again and again to a task
the world deems small.
IV.
What seems mundane
is holy work to those
who understand that
purpose doesn’t always
arrive with applause.
V.
To look for meaning is
to look for air to breathe.
It is everywhere
yet rarely perceived.
External validation gives us the dopamine hit, but is outside of our control. Relying on it breeds anxiety. Our own internal validation is completely within our control, therefore feels settled and calm in the nervous system. We need to give ourselves what we seek from others in order to feel truly whole. 💜
Applause is fleeting. Fulfillment (with or without applause) is everlasting.