Advantage of NOT Being in the Spotlight
Maximize your insignificance
I am the first child of my family, but countless times I have heard from wise uncles that I am not really the firstborn; rather, my immediate younger brother is the first. Yeah, it confounded me too. How can he be the firstborn of the family if I was born first?
Well, you may have guessed the answer... because he is a boy. And since I am a girl, I obviously cannot "come" before him. Even my well-meaning parents have several times made it clear that he is next in line, especially in the family business. "I am the president, Mummy is the vice president, and you are the senate president," Dad recently said to him at a family gathering.
You may wonder where that leaves me. But you already know: I shall get married and leave the family. So although I am more invested in the business than in the course I have spent six years studying, I curtail my dream of running it.
Once upon a time, such statement would have infuriated me. Because how dare they overlook me? However, over time, I have learned the advantage of being overlooked—there is less pressure on you.
The less pressure you have, the more freedom you have to try new things, make mistakes and learn. The more you learn, the more you know, and the better equipped you are to take on anything. And that is what I have done—tried new things, failed, and learned.
In addition to being actively present in business when not in school, I have tried YouTube content creation (which didn’t succeed as I dreamed, but I learned a whole lot). I have tried copyediting and proofreading (and am progressing in them). And most recently, I have started writing officially. These are the most obvious things I can recall as I write.
In addition to the freedom that comes with being overlooked, there is a delicious feeling of inner pride fueled by competence. Albeit dispensable, I know, and they know, that I can manage the business because I do it every day, and I know that I can do several other things too.
So I am no longer mad about my seeming insignificance because I am more significant than I or they realize. In the meantime, I shall continue learning as much as I can about everything that interests me and even a few that don’t.
The advantage of not being in the spotlight is that it takes the pressure off you, which allows you room for growth.
The spotlight beams with pressure, and pressure can be crippling, especially when one is not well equipped for it. Pressure presents limited choices under the most insane circumstances, and unless you are well-versed in what you do, pressure will result in subpar results.
The spotlight casts thrilling illumination on its subject, but this illumination reveals both strength and weakness. Surely, you do not want the latter part revealed, so you must improve your best while in the shadows.
Ironically, it is by improving yourself that you attract the spotlight. So, in whatever or wherever you feel unseen, make the most of your insignificance.
The spotlight best suits those who have mastered their craft.
