Become Invisible

For a long time, we’ve been conditioned to believe that visibility is the key to success in life. In today’s modern economies, advertising and the social media era have amplified the importance of visibility, often prioritizing it over credibility. This trend starts early in life when we encourage our children in kindergarten to believe they are the best, instilling a drive to be noticed and to avoid fear or bullying.

If you’ve ever contemplated the idea of being invisible to people, take pride in your exceptional qualities, nurture them, and trust that the right people will naturally gravitate towards you.

As we progress through the education system, we often find ourselves asking questions we already know the answers to, purely for the sake of being seen and acknowledged. In the corporate world, we sometimes work long hours, even without proper compensation, just to catch the attention of our superiors. We select partners who stand out and vacation in destinations recognized by everyone because of their hyper visibility.

The obsession with visibility is perhaps most pronounced in the world of fashion, where trends and styles are driven by a desire to be seen and recognized.

Recently, I heard Ryan Seranth, whom I greatly admire, mention that he opened his office at the intersection of West Broadway and Broome Street in SoHo just to be visible to the thousands of commuters passing through the Holland Tunnel each day. Jay Shety also consistently emphasizes the importance of communication in relationships, emphasizing the need to make oneself heard, much like the need to be visible, even when relationships hit rough patches.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with seeking visibility. However, I believe there is an art to being invisible that can also lead to success, depending on how we define success.

As Barack Obama once said, there are those who talk about getting things done and those who actually do them. The latter group doesn’t need to linger in the office because they’ve already accomplished their tasks in the morning. They leave parties while they’re still lively, sparing themselves the need for goodbyes. They choose less-known destinations like Amorgos over Mykonos and aren’t swayed by influencers. They may wear H&M, but they exude an Armani-like elegance.

During their childhood, they might have been introverted, preferring their own company, but they possessed the vision to see the world beyond their immediate surroundings. In relationships, they don’t waste hours discussing how to fix things; instead, they allow silence to speak, often conveying things more clearly than words ever could.

If you’ve ever contemplated the idea of being invisible to people, take pride in your exceptional qualities, nurture them, and trust that the right people will naturally gravitate towards you. Success, after all, can be defined in various ways, and sometimes it’s the subtle art of being invisible that leads to the most meaningful achievements.

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