Friends, we have arrived at the final lojong slogan. And it happens to be one of my favorites! “Don’t expect applause.”

Here’s the thing: we are trained from day one to respond to what pleases others. This isn’t always a bad thing, and indeed it’s a necessary thing. But if we only do this- even if we primarily do this- we dramatically shortchange ourselves. Because we cannot ever expect applause. Applause is unpredictable.

And here’s the other thing: if we expect applause, we chain ourselves to hustle culture. We become endless prisoners of earning our keep. When we look for all our affirmation outside, inevitably we lose our center. How could we possibly stay centered when the applause so randomly comes and goes?

You know as well as I do that people can be praised for the dumbest things, while other people can be ostracized for doing the right thing. Applause is fickle, and it’s not the best barometer of moral clarity, either.

So the wisdom behind “Don’t expect applause” invites us to operate from a deeper place. To use technical terms, we go from seeking external rewards to seeking internal ones. We learn to trust in the rightness of the work. We begin to feel comfort in the process itself, in the journey. Soon, we find that our lives feel more meaningful because of our willed attention. Nobody has to throw us a parade for us to recognize the goodness of this work. We can feel it. We know it in our bones.

Consider what Shantideva says, “For it is just as when I feed myself- I don’t expect to be rewarded.” Ha! Yes, this is exactly it. The nourishment of the work serves as its own reward. We don’t pat ourselves on the back for breathing, or for smiling, or for any good and beautiful thing. Applause is a cheap substitute for meaningful joy.

How can you move into finding motivation from a deeper place today? Where might the lure of applause be keeping you trapped?

Stay tuned next week for a wrap-up post on our journey of Living the Lojong!