Keep walking towards your goals, attention will come running towards you

Misbah Farooq

‘Attention-seeking’ in psychology is considered as a personality disorder and is referred to as “Hysteria” or “Histrionic syndrome”. Individuals suffering from this syndrome have a deep thirst for attention and can go to any height to push people in their orbit. Well, this is because of some trauma faced by an individual in his childhood or maybe the result of negligence by the parents that made the child crave attention.

But what actually attention is? It’s the act of directing the mind to listen, see, understand, or notice. Besides some extreme attention seekers, every individual faces the need of having the attention of others. You couldn’t find a single society without having the desire for attention. Having functional social attention is necessary for an individual, but the point is ‘what are you doing to get it?’ Though some earn it naturally but most teenagers go to extreme lengths to get attention. They even put their lives under threat. You might have gone through various social media handles loaded with the post with legendary captions, although they might not be knowing what it actually means; their only goal is to impress people and grab their attention. We see our young boys performing various stunts with their motorcycles on roads which might put their lives under threat and we have gone through such incidents wherein many have lost their lives during performing these foolish stunts. Girls, like in every field are not lagging behind here, they too walk side by side with boys in this field too. They post their pictures, videos, dancing and all, just to push people in their orbit. They actually don’t have any idea what they are doing. This is just the thirst for attention in them which makes them to go to any length to be noticed by others. There’s a new trend in today’s younger generation that is – ‘the photoshoots’. Usually, boys but some girls are also involved in this task. They visit a particular place with fascinating beauty, scenery, even borrow cameras to click out some stunning pictures and you know for what? Just to post on their social media handles with different locations to impress others. You go through Instagram, it’s just loaded with such pictures with such a legendary saying or a quote as a caption. They don’t visit these places to explore the world, or for adventures. No, not at all. The main motive behind this is to just collect some glamorous pictures of theirs so that they would provide their followers with some new stuff with new clothes, in a new location. Doesn’t this seem foolishness to you? I mean just give it a thought; you waste your whole day just to get a picture out of it and why?? because you’re a celebrity and people are dying to have a glimpse? No, you are not; but you can be. And you’re not striving to be. Yes, you too can be but not by wasting your time on social media handles and by doing these foolish things to impress people but by working on yourself and achieving your set goals. You need to know your potential, your strengths, your weaknesses, your likes, your dislikes, set your goals and try your best to accomplish them.

Have you ever thought, why do we need attention? Why do we need to impress others? Why do we need to do the things others like? What about us? Our own desires, likes, goals? Why can’t we do the things we love? Why can’t we love our own selves just the way we want to be loved by others? You don’t need to push people in your orbit; just do the things you love and you’ll automatically get their attention. Respect yourself, your own sentiments. Love yourself, you will automatically be loved by others. Focus on yourself, your studies, your goals. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses, believe in yourself, understand yourself, spend time with yourself. You need to know that you are enough for yourself. Strive but not for attention but to accomplish your goals. Today is the time and it can never be renewed. You are in the age which has the power to make you or just break you forever. You might have seen people who have wasted their youth and are now repenting but what will they get from it? Nothing; because time has gone and it can’t be renewed. Don’t be among them. You are a gem, all you need to do is to know your potential and utilize it in the right direction. You are in the age where you are able to turn your dreams into reality. Do whatever you’ve ever dreamt of; write, read, supplicate, laugh, cry, love, play, drive, travel whatever you want but not at the cost of your future. Strive for your satisfaction not for others. Stop seeking attention and start giving; giving it to your own self. Keep going after your goals, attention will come running towards you. Know that you are enough for yourself. Make yourself a priority and trust your Creator; you will indeed reach your destination.