The Others

Who are The Others? Why are some of them so noisy?

As much as some of them want you to believe, The Others aren’t your competition. They are on the sidelines. They are spectators. Either they haven’t yet started, or they’ve already dropped out.

Be careful about the ones who have dropped out. They don’t know how to cheer for you because they have lost their inner spark. They heckle, rant, and rage. The sounds of madness.

Your attempts at victory have triggered them. They are reminded of their forgotten dreams, weak knees, and all of the times they gave up because it was hard.

Your attempts to succeed and overcome are an affront to the mediocrity to which they have resigned themselves. Your eventual success will represent their compounding failure.

But not all of The Others are broken. Some are quietly watching. Some have yet to start. They will find in you hope. They will silently cheer for you to get back up when you fall. They will see in you something that they could become.

They are easy to recognize. Look into their eyes. You will see the wonder from behind the silence. They will rise up and conquer their own fears because you inspired them.