People’s attention is our energy booster!

Whatever we do, whatever we think, we are seeking concurrence and approval from the people around us in some subtle way. We are very keen that we should earn a good name from everyone. We may not do this in a very obvious fashion, but if you analyse deeply, you will not be at ease without the appreciation and endorsement of the people around you. This endorsement, this approval, is what we call ‘attention-need’.

Why do we bother so much about others’ opinions about us? Why can’t we judge ourselves by our own strength and continue to do our work? Why are we deriving strength from others?

All this is because of two things: one, we don’t know anything about ourselves. We know ourselves only through others’ opinions of us, only through others’ certificates. Second: when others give us their approval and attention, they are actually giving us energy to move on. Attention IS energy! That is why we feel so boosted when they give us attention.

I want you to understand that attention is nothing but energy, which keeps us in good spirits. It is a subtle form of energizing ourselves, and we are not even aware of this. When we need something, that something is not love; it is attention. You don’t need love; you are love yourself. So when you say that you need love, when you say that you need to be loved, you are really in need of attention, not love.