I was having a conversation with a friend of mine in which we were discussing ambitions amongst many other things and  here’s a transcript of that conversation which revolved around the importance of fame and the need for acceptance/getting noticed.  I’m reproducing the transcript here with her consent and as promised,  I’m leaving her name out, so she is just noname(nn).



nn: leave it yaar… let me first become something in life……

me: and what is that something, nn? Is it a definite goal or a horizon without an end?7:30 PM nn: fame, money ect etc…..
<div> me: To what end, nn?</div><div>7:31 PM Is fame as important as life? nn: well…tell u once i get these two…

</div><div> me: Some of the people who do the greatest acts in their lifetimes don’t get fame..</div><div>7:32 PM Rudolf Diesel, after whom the fuel is named, the inventor of the diesel engine was not even recognized for his invention till after his death.. he died in poverty..</div><div>  and fame is something that Rakhi Savant can get if she parades semi-naked on a show..</div><div>7:33 PM Is fame more important than achieving something worthy of fame?</div><div> nn: lol….

</div><div> me: No seriously..</div><div>  which aspect of fame are you after?</div><div>  The aspect of doing something great, or getting noticed for it?</div><div>7:34 PM nn: tough to answer….

</div><div> me: It shouldn’t be…</div><div>7:35 PM ask yourself..</div><div>  if you would do things going out of your way for the benefit of people, even if you don’t get the recognition..</div><div>  or whether you just want to be a page 3 celebritity..</div><div> nn: well m not rakhi sawant nor diesel..

</div>7:36 PM me: I always thought you were a confident and ambitious person, nn..<div>  Confident people don’t need to hanker for fame..</div><div>  After all, what is the meaning if somebody recognizes your work or not?</div><div>7:37 PM Will it change the effectiveness of what you do?</div><div>  Steve Waugh comes down several times to India to help underprivileged children and NGOs and he does it whether the cameras are clicking or not..</div><div>7:38 PM nn: well… i dont know abt othrs..wht they did n wht they not.. i jus want to get noticed ..thts it….

7:39 PM me: What drives that desire, nn?7:40 PM nn: donno

me: You are a strong person, nn..</div><div>  you don’t need somebody to endorse that you are so..</div><div>  So I don’t understand this need to get noticed..
7:41 PM nn: no…m not… i think all useless things……

7:42 PM me: and where is the happiness here? If ten thousand people say you are a great person you fell happy? Vindicated? What if the next day twenty thousand people call you a b***ch? something worse? Is that when you start thinking that you are worthless?               nn: LOL…dont make me think too much prashanth….
 </div><div>7:43 PM me: Not at all, nn..</div><div>  You should be the index of yourself…</div><div>  and not allow somebody else to make a judgment about you..</div><div>  You should know your worth.. and not let somebody else push it up or pull it down at will..</div><div>7:44 PM </div><div>  Nobody is perfect, nn..</div><div>  nobody is fearless</div><div>7:45 PM Nobody is free of temptations.. nn: i know yaar….

</div><div> me: nobody is full of virtue..</div><div>  but every single person has to have faith in oneself..  nn: :)

</div><div>7:46 PM me: You are a great person, nn.. and you should not feel the need to get it endorsed by a group to realize it..</div><div>  Fame is what insecure people aspire for..</div><div>  They think it’s a cloth that can cover all the bad patches..</div><div>  hide it from public view.. nn: hehe,,,,</div><div>7:49 PM so u tell me…wht should be done….

</div><div> me: Aspire to do great things, that is a worthy ambition nn..</div><div>  What is fame? Money?</div><div>  They are no goals..</div><div>7:50 PM Money is still a good goal..</div><div>  For you need money for everything in life..</div><div>  but fame? that is a silly pursuit..</div><div>  not unless you believe the fame can propel you even further.. you and your cause that is..</div><div>7:51 PM nn: hmm…. well m nothing now….so want to become something first…..

</div><div> me: that’s not at all true..</div><div>  If you have nothing now, you can never be anything, nn..</div><div>  I’m being very blunt, sorry for that..</div><div>  But you need to realize that there is latent potential in you..</div><div>  That’s not nothing..</div><div>7:52 PM If you don’t have talent, potential, you will go nowhere..
 nn: hmm

</div><div> me: Everyone of us has something..</div><div>7:53 PM But many think they don’t have anything. … and that’s when they go down in life..</div><div>  I might not be earning a fat pay-packet today, but I know I have potential..</div><div>  I believe that I can manufacture my own opportunities to come up even further.. that’s not nothing..</div><div>7:54 PM My bank balance may be nothing, but I’m NOT nothing..</div><div> nn: :) thts very much true wht u said abt u…

</div><div> me: And it’s true about you too, nn..</div><div>7:55 PM There is only one type of respect that really matters in this world, nn..</div><div>  That is self-respect.</div><div> nn: :)</div><div> 
me: I don’t need somebody to tell me that I am worthy of their respect before I respect myself..</div><div>  nn, you don’t need fame..</div><div>  You need self-respect.</div>