Doing the right thing will cost you.
– Recognition
– Promotions
– Relationships
– Sometimes even money

You’ll watch others play games and win.
You’ll see shortcuts get rewarded.
And you’ll wonder, why bother doing it the right way?

But:
If you’re doing the right thing, expecting applause,
You’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Because:
– Most won’t notice.
– Only a few will thank you.
And that silence? It pricks only if you let it.

But stay with it long enough, and something shifts.
You:
1. Stop chasing credit.
2. Needing validation.
3. Start doing it because… that’s who you are.
4. And that gives you something no applause can: Peace.

Not attention. Not likes. 
Just peace. And that’s enough.

The twist?
Just because you shouldn’t expect appreciation,
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it.

Say thank you.
Acknowledge someone’s quiet effort.
Appreciate the ones who do the right thing when no one is watching.

Not because you owe them.
Not because you want something in return.
But because that’s the right thing to do.

That’s how you lead.
That’s how you build trust.
That’s how you create culture.

Do the right thing even when no one claps.
But be the kind of person who claps for others anyway.

That’s leadership.