It was his first TEDx speech.

He rehearsed yet another time on the way to the venue. A lot of people already knew about his achievements. This was his chance to let them know the story behind it all – the pain, the hardships he had endured to make it all happen!

“Dreams don’t just fructify out of thin air! They need intense effort, discipline and dedication! They need a lifetime of sacrifice!!!” A sense of pride creep into the corner of his lips as he rehearsed his lines.

He visualised a full audience. A standing ovation at the end of it all. People going hush over his achievements. He could see wannabe-aspirants looking up to him in awe.

“Slow down, soak it in, live in the moment.” He reminded himself.

“And don’t forget to thank all those people in the list.” Of course, he had taken time to prepare a long list of people. Few had genuinely helped him, and few were there just for the sake of a diplomatic mention.

“Sir, your destination has arrived,” the driver announced.

He paid the driver and staggered onto the venue. It was a large convention center with seating capacity for five hundred people.

“Five hundred people just to listen to me?!” That made him feel special.

“Great to have you here today, Sir!” Madan, the coordinator greeted him.

“Thank you,” his lips a little dry by now.

He expected a hall full of people.

The place was near empty. All of seven people decorated the huge expanse of the place. He looked at Madan, unsure if the timing was wrong.

“Actually, it’s a long weekend, sir. Turnout is low. I think it will pickup in few minutes.”

“Hmm, that’s okay! We can wait a bit!”

They waited for 15 minutes to see if anyone else joined. No one did. It was time for him to start his magnum opus.

He struggled and splattered through out his speech. He missed the punch lines. At some point, he simply read out the notes he had taken. It was pure misery and in the end, he was glad that it was done with.

On his way home, thoughts raced through his mind.

“Why do I feel so low just because the turnout was poor? My achievements were real. Do the admiration and appreciation matter more to me than the achievements itself?”

“Were all these achievements just a form of external validation, all to please an invisible gallery?”

As he got out of the car, a large green dustbin stared at him. He dumped the speech notes into the neck of the dustbin and walked away!