By Dina Aldabbagh

People are watching you, whether you feel seen or not. They are considering your way of being, even if they never tell you. The way you move through the world, the way you hold yourself, your choices, the things you care about — they feel independent to you, but they’re not. People can see what you’re doing, and most importantly, they can see how you feel.

Surely, no one can see directly inside the heart of another and know with certainty that they are completely happy. However, people can see your attitude, your smile, your beauty, your energy to do things. People can see your fruit. And through this, we touch one another.

You can get inspired by someone that you don’t even know well or have never even met, because you don’t need to know their life story — you just need to resonate with something specific. Then, they become an example for you to understand how this desire looks when it’s something tangible. How it dresses, how it talks, how it responds to conflict, how it smiles at people, how it eats, how it trains, how it commits to something. Suddenly, you have a clear visual.

We are absorbing one another, even if we don’t have complete information. As such, the things we do in our lives — even when it feels completely inconsequential to others — do leave a trace. Maybe not right away, probably not. But, eventually. Eventually, people process your presence, and if something is meant to stand out to them about you, it will.

In this way, the best thing you can do for others is live the best life you know how. I know we want to be humble, that’s good, but let some things be shown to the world. Let the world see how happy you are. Let them see what you care about. Let them see your favorite experiences. You can do all this and still be humble. In fact, I’d argue that it’s the whole point.

I’ve never been very inspired by someone who lived a depressing life. I’ve never looked at someone who never left their house, didn’t tell people how they felt, didn’t have passion or excitement about anything, and thought, “Wow, what an inspiration of life.” You know who I have been inspired by? The people who have been bold in this world, the ones who have sought out greatness — in whatever way that means for them.

I have been inspired by the work ethic of Michael Jordan, the quiet confidence of Kobe Bryant, the discipline of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, the generosity of my mother, the daringness of my father, the friendship of my cousin, the persistence of children, how my friend could gather people into community with ease, how another friend was always so positive, the way in which one girl cared so much about her culture, the devoutness of a man I barely knew. Greatness shows up in many ways, but without fail, it is always inspiring.

Exceptionality is what we are inspired by. Not only does it maybe drive us to be better ourselves, but it does something much more important, and yet very, very quiet — it shows us that it is possible. Doubt and fear are very strong forces in this life, and they can stop you over and over again from doing great things. Because to seek greatness is one of the most vulnerable things we put ourselves through.

In the pursuit of the sublime, we don’t already have evidence that this thing eventually works out for us, we only have belief. While we could know of the most famous people to succeed at that thing, that often feels too far away to feel relevant to us. “Well, what if it doesn’t work out for me?” we constantly ask ourselves on the path. You’ll feel like an imposter a million times on the way to the version of you that feels most like yourself. That’s why it is so vulnerable. We don’t yet know for sure. Therefore, when we see an example of someone else pursuing something, and doing well for themselves, we begin to find ourselves in their story.

When people can see you care about things, they may have a moment that says, “Wait, maybe I care about this, too.” To learn something matters to you is the beginning of the change. My suggestion is that you may be a part of that reason for somebody. It’s especially moving for someone when they see another person trying. Plenty of people don’t want to try. They don’t want to attempt and risk failure in front of everyone. However, when a person comes along who may stumble and fall, even embarrass themselves, but keeps getting back up to try once more, people are moved by that.

You seeking greatness in life is not something to hide, it’s meant to be seen. If you pay attention, the stories that touch us the most are not the ones of someone who was born into an easy life. There’s a reason why people are more inspired by the story of someone who once was not, and then became. It communicates something like, “Maybe this is possible for me, too.”

And once you get there, to that promised land that you always believed in, let it be seen. Not, “Show off,” but instead, “Don’t hide the greatness of your life. You are probably inspiring people.”

You may do something today only because you care about it, but one day see that other people quietly began following your lead. You may look over and see that something shifted in them, too. Not because you preached at them that they needed to change, but because they saw the value of doing something the way you do it.

The only way to ever, ever change another person is to be the example. And even then, of course it’s not certain. But it’s my belief that it’s the only way. You can tell people to do things a certain way all day, but if you do not show them the value in it, they will not follow your orders just because. People are not inspired by how much a person can say they believe, they are inspired by what a person actually does. And even more so, the consequences of being such a person.

So, openly be yourself. No one is saying you have to get on stage and dance like a monkey for others, but I am saying that people can only be touched by what they see. If you hide the beauty of your life in fear of jealousy or being boastful, you might be doing a disservice to the others around you. We all love to see that the ideal is somehow possible. It’s our world’s obsession. It’s why we platform whoever is so good at something. We love being witness to the ideal. And through that, we can see how to implement parallel principles and habits into our own lives.

Whatever I am great at, the credit is not mine alone. It is also the credit of those who showed me greatness in their own lives. There may have been something in me that could latch onto the inspiration, but it is not always complete without the example. We can see something in our hearts that is right for us, and that can drive us, but it becomes so much easier when we have a tangible to follow.

Don’t hide your greatness. Let it reach others. It may touch them to be great, too.