Do you have a dream tucked away in your heart—a passion that simply won't let you go?

Maybe it's a creative project, a side business you want to start, an idea you feel "the world needs."

You feel that spark. You know if you could bring it to life, it would be something special. You can almost see how it could transform your life—not just financially, but in giving you a way to truly live as yourself.

But reality rarely greets you with applause.

Maybe it's family questioning: "Wouldn't it be more stable to just keep your job?"

Maybe it's friends saying, "Oh, that sounds interesting"—and you can hear the doubt hiding under that politeness. (Trust me, I know that tone.)

Most common of all is that small voice inside: "Will anyone actually care?" "What's the point of doing this?"

So I want to ask you a serious question:

Can you keep working on something, day after quiet day, for no other reason than you know it's what you must do—even if the world answers with silence?

Why does the absence of applause make us most likely to quit?

We're all human. We crave to be seen, to be validated—that's completely natural. Like when we were kids and drew a picture, we'd rush to show adults, waiting for that "Great job!"

This "instant feedback" is fuel. Someone likes your post, someone comments that it helped them, a customer places an order... these all confirm: "I'm on the right track."

But the path you truly want to walk is often long. So long that for a significant stretch, you hear no echo at all.

Your published article sinks like a stone. Your carefully designed product gets no inquiries. People around you start saying in that "caring" tone: "Maybe you should focus on your day job first?" You might even catch some unexpected snide remarks drifting your way.

At this point, doubt doesn't come from the work itself—it comes from that silence.

"Am I just talking to myself?"

"Do I simply have no talent?"

"Am I... wasting my time?"

The hardest part has never been the effort itself, but continuing to believe in your own voice amid complete silence.

When I started writing "for the benefit of others," I didn't tell anyone. Because I knew this was what I wanted to do, and how others saw it wouldn't change my decision.

In less than a month, several of my articles hit the platform's trending page, and publishers reached out about book collaborations. For someone just starting out, this was undoubtedly positive affirmation.

How I face the low points when "results haven't appeared yet"

Honestly, even now, I still fall into these low points.

I know very clearly that this path of "writing for others" is where I genuinely want to go. I distill something from my own life experiences, hoping it can be like a small lamp lighting the way for people with similar struggles. I know this has value, and I believe it can go the distance.

But when I've earnestly written what I consider a heartfelt article, only to have it met with minimal response after publishing, that disappointment is concrete.

Or when my articles haven't hit the trending list in a while, I've caught myself getting anxious, frantically trying to write a piece that will explode with traffic.

What confuses me more is that sometimes an article I dash off casually seems to touch more people, getting thousands of likes. I'll sit at my computer, unable to stop wondering: "Why? Wasn't this piece good enough? Or do I just not understand what people want to read?"

That feeling is like moving through thick fog toward a lighthouse you're certain exists. You stumble, you get lost, and in those still moments, a chilling thought whispers: "What if the lighthouse was only ever a trick of the light?"

Especially recently, after setting up my own website—honestly, it gets absolutely no traffic. Buried among countless personal websites, without platform support, it might take 6 months to a year to build up. Though I understand this mechanism, at the start you really do have that "Are you kidding me? Not even one view?" feeling.

Yes, I'm just like you—I'm on this path too.

The thought that keeps me going: Timeline Thinking

In these low moments, a single mental shift has become my lifeline.

I ask myself:

"If I knew with absolute certainty that one year from today, this will have succeeded—exactly as I envision it—what would I do today?"

This question is like a powerful light, instantly cutting through the fog.

If I know I'll definitely succeed, then all my current anxiety, comparison, and doubt lose their foundation. They're immediately replaced by a larger, calmer certainty: This isn't a question of whether I'll succeed, only that the time hasn't come yet.

My question shifts from "Is anyone reading this?" to:

"In this year that's destined to succeed, will I consistently and focus on doing what needs to be done?"

The answer is always yes. I'll write. I'll keep creating. I'll keep sharing.

Because I know I'm not writing for "instant applause"—I'm paving the way for "that inevitable result one year from now."

This thought transforms my effort from "seeking validation" to "fulfilling a promise"—a promise to the successful future version of myself.

Timeline thinking actually comes from other life experiences

This "timeline thinking" didn't appear out of thin air. It comes from my long-standing habit of listening to people's life stories.

In the past, I was often the "ear" among friends. Many people came to talk about relationship troubles, career struggles, the pain of not finding life direction.

I've heard countless variations of: "I don't think I'll ever love again." "My life is probably just going to be like this, it won't get better."

At these moments, I don't rush to comfort. I often ask instead:

"If I could guarantee you right now that two years from today, your destined true love will definitely appear, or your ideal job will definitely come through—how would you spend these two years from today to that day?"

Almost everyone's answer shifts from despair to relief, and their eyes begin to focus:

"Then I... would probably eat well, exercise, take care of myself."

"I'd go learn what I've always wanted to learn, enrich myself."

"I wouldn't spend every day crying. I'd work properly, save some money."

You see, the problem is identical. When we're trapped in "current hopelessness," all our energy goes to fighting emotions. But once we put "an inevitable beautiful future" into the timeline, our actions instantly change from "wallowing in pain" to "preparing to receive."

Applying timeline thinking back to your current business

So when you feel anxious about the business or goal you're building, try asking yourself:

"If I knew that one year from now (or longer), this thing I'm doing will definitely be on track and achieve the results I want—what should I be doing most from now through that year?"

You'll find the answer shifts from chaotic "what do I do" to clear and calm.

For example:

If your social media follower count has plateaued: Instead of anxiously studying algorithms and blindly chasing trends every day, you'd choose to consistently create content of genuine value to your ideal audience, building trust step by step.

If inquiries about your product or service are low: Instead of doubting the market and constantly changing direction, you'd choose to deeply refine your core value and genuinely communicate with each potential customer.

If you're building something with no immediate visible results: Instead of comparing yourself to cases of quick wealth around you, you'd choose to focus on each action that brings small change, trusting in compound effects.

The power of this thinking is that it pulls your attention from "external instant feedback" (metrics, applause, sales) back to "internal certain action" (accumulation, refinement, sharing).

No looking left and right. No comparing. No chasing trends.

You know applause and results will eventually come, because they're the natural by-product of "consistently doing the right things well."

Before that arrives, it's about doing things one by one during this time without applause, establishing a solid foundation.

Applause and results are by-products of time, not the goal you stare at on the scoreboard every day.

Back to the original question

At the end of this article, I want to ask you that initial question one more time:

"Can you work toward your goal without applause?"

If there's a small, affirmative voice inside you, then I want to tell you—you're already walking a path few can persist on.

This path isn't noisy, and it's even a bit lonely. But you know the direction. You believe you'll eventually arrive.

I won't tell you that despite the silence, everything will go smoothly. On the contrary, during this time, there might not only be no applause, but also many painful moments and many mistakes.

But don't forget, as NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said: "What you're doing right now might be your life's major breakthrough." "I hope you suffer and struggle."

My "timeline thinking" and these two quotes are what you need most before success.

And what's truly interesting is that as you walk along, focused on fulfilling your promise to yourself, applause often comes quietly when you're no longer so desperate for it.

By that time, you'll have grown from someone who needs external validation into someone settled inside, able to give yourself applause.

This quiet strength is louder than any noisy cheering.

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