Attention Is Not The Endgame, Depth Is!

At the beginning of the endeavors that speak to your passions and commitment, it’s not how much attention and eyeballs you attract that necessarily determines the true worth and value of what you love doing. As a matter of fact, some of the world's greatest brands and talents at some point used to be the most overlooked, unrespected and unseen forces in their respective fields. We often become so caught up with the desire to be noticed and immediately valued so much so that in an attempt to become a premium branded talent with public validation, we shift our focus from actually spending the needed time and attention at developing and working up our talents ,skills and brand into trying to abruptly prove our worth just to catch eyeballs and the attention of the masses.

The thing is, you must know and be certain beyond any reasonable doubt what your worth equates even at a time when your craft does not appear to have caught the attention of the populace. You must be confident beyond repair of what you carry and the potential you maintain when given the chance to deploy yourself. We must be deliberately willing to keep working and honing our talent, skill & brand until it’s foundations become firmly formed being able to withstand the inevitable shocks of the journey of success.

On one’s expedition to proliferation, attention, fame and recognition has a way of springing up on you when you least expect it, especially when diligence mixed with determination and commitment is the bedrock of your endeavors. I think it’s obviously clear from the records of time and history that success is quite a lengthy and arduous undertaking and if there’s anything we have gleaned from the experiences of many lives that have been before us it would be that only those with a strong and deep rooted foundation survive.

Believe me when I say I think I know what it feels like to be doubtful of one’s own journey especially when you don’t get people to look your way to appreciate the value of what you carry. Don’t be perturbed, keep building your value, build your skill , develop character and a solid incontestable personality of worth, that’s what carries you through in the long run because roots don’t lie.

I’m keenly reminded of the journey of a Jewish shepherd boy who came from a place of obscurity to become the ruler of a whole nation. David was his name. The adventures of David’s life began way before he ascended the throne as a shepherd boy taking care of his father’s few sheep. Probably even further back to when he was anointed by Samuel as God's future king to the bewilderment of his own father Jesse. Imagine such an anointing service had been orchestrated for such a young boy and yet nobody really paid attention to him. One would have expected a mob of men and women at the beck and call of young anointed David but no he was just throng back into his usual routine.

Imagine having to have regular bouts with bears and lions over sheep and still not be the talk of town. I’m pretty sure there were more adventures David secretly endured that the Bible doesn’t make mention of. But in all these things David was forging his foundations even though nobody looked his way. All those feats were opportunities for him to test his own capacity and not to please the crowd. When the right opportune time came for David to become the name on everybody’s tongue he was already a man whose character and person had been tested. He had gained roots which could not be easily uprooted or discarded. He had become the man after God’s own heart.

We live in a time and generation where people will take any route for easy and quick attention and fame. The immense takeover of social media hasn’t made it any easier. Young people like myself are no longer focusing on depth but are being superficial without recourse to substance and root just so they can gain the attraction and validation of the masses. Always remember and keep firmly at the back of your mind that the real deal is to build enterprises, brands and ministries that last and can stand the test of time.The invaluable advice and caution here is, make sure you build well !