Worth wanting

The fastest way to lose credibility is to chase it.

There’s a slower move that works better.

Instead of asking what the prize gives you— the title, the applause, the access— ask what you’re willing to give the prize.

What would it take to raise the bar? To defend the bar once it’s raised? To make the thing itself matter more?

That choice changes the work.

You stop optimizing for visibility. You start defending meaning.

Access gets tighter. Expectations get harder to meet. Shortcuts stop paying off.

Not everyone stays interested.

Good.

Here’s the part that surprises people:

When you elevate the status of the prize, your own status rises anyway.

Not because you claimed it. Because you made something worth claiming.

Status is borrowed. Meaning compounds.