My father used to often say: "The deeper the river, the less the noise." For me, this phrase has only become more true and more relevant with time. Shallow brooks babble. Deep rivers don't. That was his point (at least I think that was it). We'd see people with flashy cars, expensive jewelry, and big houses. We'd hear people boasting about how much they've accomplished in life, how much money they *claimed* to have, their many powerful/famous friends... Meanwhile, the wealthiest people we knew wore $20 jeans most days, drove a used car, and lived in a relatively modest home. The people with the purest friendships and relationships usually didn't have them in high places. The most generous people almost never share how much they've given. Reality matters more than perception. Action matters more than optics. What you do matters more than how you look. Enough virtue signaling. Just be virtuous. Enough any-signaling... Instead of focusing your attention inward on yourself and how you're perceived, try focusing outward on the world and your impact on it. Make your river deeper. Not louder.