0Arjun was admired everywhere he went. His colleagues praised his hard work, his friends loved his generosity, and even strangers often said, “You’re such a wonderful person.”
At first, these words made him glow with pride. He felt stronger, more confident. But over time, something strange happened—he began to live for those words.
When he wrote, he thought, “Will people clap for this?”
When he spoke, he wondered, “Will they like me?”
When he made choices, he worried, “What if they don’t approve?”
Without realizing, he was no longer free. The praise had become strings—pulling him, guiding him, controlling him.
One evening, while sitting alone, Arjun asked himself a powerful question:
“If no one ever praised me again, would I still do what I love?”
The silence that followed gave him the answer—Yes.
That night, he decided to cut those invisible strings. From then on, he worked not for applause, but for joy. He spoke not for approval, but for truth. And strangely enough, people admired him even more—but now, he wasn’t trapped by it.
Lesson:
Praise and appreciation are beautiful gifts, but don’t let them become chains. True freedom begins when you act for your own truth, not just for others’ applause.
