To be recognized in general is a common desire. The feeling of people admiring your exceptional abilities in whatever activity is addicting. Who doesn’t like to be “awwwwwed” over? To be recognized and esteemed is a great feeling.
This can be a decent thing. It can serve as a drive to do great things, quality deeds. It can be a motivator that pushes you to the next level. BUT the line between decent and unhealthy is grass blade thin. The drive can turn into your sole motivator and reason to “get it done.” This leads to discouragement when people fail to admire your “awesome” talents and, in the last stretch, counter-productivity.
I too share this “I have to be the best!” trait. I want to dominate. Everyone knows inside that second place isn’t good enough – it’s first or no glory. The average adult can tell you that the Wright brothers were the first to build a plane that actually stayed in the sky, but how many people can also the name the person (or people) that made the second flying plane? Not many. It’s first or nothing.
A main reason for it is to be remembered. The greatest will be remembered. The second placers will not, or they will be remembered as losers or “insufficients.” There is also a longing for personal glory, to have your name known on the streets, or just in your community or circle of friends. A reason for me is my competitiveness. I like to prove that I can do it better, so na na na na to the incompetent. It’s a nasty part of my character I’m working on, hopefully I will be more gracious and/or more humble in the near future.
Summary of my theory: The drive to be great is about having your peeps recognize you, as a talented and/or worthy individual. Underlying that is pride and security and….
Bla Bla Bla. Run on Run on Run on. I am getting sick of my own voice here. Ha ha. Ramble ramble ramble….I’ll stop here before I bore myself to sleep. Enjoy the “theory.” :)