Who are you most inspired by?

If I had to pick the people who inspire me the most, it wouldn’t be celebrities, influencers, executives, or any of the other professional attention seekers the internet keeps trying to sell us.

It’s the people who just do the damn thing.

The guy who quietly volunteers every week and never mentions it. The woman who helps someone out because they need help, not because she’s collecting likes on social media. The person who sees a problem, fixes it, and goes on with their day without writing a three-paragraph post about how amazing they are.

Those are my people.

Somewhere along the way, society got addicted to recognition. Every good deed needs a photo. Every act of kindness needs a hashtag. Every accomplishment needs an audience. Apparently if nobody sees it, it doesn’t count.

I don’t buy it.

The stuff that matters usually happens when nobody’s watching. Taking care of your family. Helping a friend. Doing your job right. Cleaning up a mess you didn’t make. Showing up when it’s inconvenient.

Nobody hands out trophies for most of that. Good.

You do it because it needs done. Or because you enjoy doing it. Or both.

The people I respect the most never seem interested in being recognized. In fact, most of them would probably be annoyed if you tried. They’re too busy getting things done while everyone else is busy documenting themselves getting things done.

Maybe it’s a Gen X thing. Maybe I’m just getting old. But I’ve always believed your actions should speak for themselves. If you need constant applause to keep going, maybe you’re doing it for the wrong reason.

The world runs because of quiet people doing necessary things without demanding a standing ovation.

Those people deserve more credit.

The funny thing is they’re usually the last ones asking for it.