The Not-So-Visible Life

Maybe it's part and parcel of the Human experience to talk a lot about what our plans are and what we have accomplished.

Growing up in Denmark — somewhat in the shadow of the "Jante Law" — I was raised with the understanding that bragging and showing off accomplishments was... well... in pretty poor taste.

But that's a cultural thing, of course, and different places have different traditions.

Regardless, in these modern times, we so often find ourselves embroiled in "social media life," and almost everything we do becomes an event, and is worthy of being shared with a greater audience.

And it seems like we are always chasing after something, regardless of whether it's a promotion, a girlfriend/boyfriend, fortune and fame, or whatever.

And all these things become "public stories."

Many people even use this as a source of inspiration, understanding that once we have published it, we pretty much have to see it through... lest we lose face with our social media following.

Personally, I'm nore inclined to be part of a second group of individuals who simply do things and there's no public discourse about them until they are actually completed.

While I keep a blog — obviously — and share snippets of my life here, I generally don't use my blog as a forum for my accomplishments, but rather as a place to leave a few comments and observations about the daily unfolding of my life.

The other day, I was talking to an acquaintance who opined that it is easy to become so absorbed in talking about what you're going to do that you forget about doing what you're going to do.

And I totally get what this person was talking about: When pretty much all aspects of our lives become a social media event, the world becomes more of a production about life... as opposed to actual life!

Personally speaking, I actually feel better when I don't tell anyone about what I am doing — and have been doing — because I quietly focus on what I am trying to accomplish, rather than going through the motions of deciding where the next appropriate selfie is going to come from.

I got to thinking about this because I was researching artists who are successful with their art online... something I have never really managed. The thing that ended up surprising me was that virtually none of these artists built a success on their actual art, they built a success on talking about their art and instructing people about art, and so forth.

Whereas I definitely have respect for their accomplishments, it really wasn't what I was looking for.

Meanwhile, much of my life — in terms of what I DO — remains largely invisible, and I doubt that's going to change, anytime soon!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great remainder of your week!

How about YOU? Do you tend to tell the world all about what you plan to do and accomplish? Or do you just DO the things and let the world draw its own conclusions? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2026.01.05 23:12 PST
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