Being Useful Is More Important Than Being Popular

Being Useful Is More Important Than Being Popular

A lesson from grassroots work that changed how I define success.

🎤 “Doctor, no one will notice if we skip this camp.”

That’s what someone told me while we were planning a small OPD outreach.

No press. No sponsors. No social media plan.

Just a dusty tent. A table.

And maybe 20 villagers.

They weren’t wrong.

But they weren’t right either.

🌱 Usefulness Doesn’t Trend. But It Transforms.

In a world that celebrates what’s viral,

what’s visible,

what’s shared—

we forget the value of what’s silent but sacred.

Like explaining a prescription to a woman who never went to school.

Or sitting beside a tribal elder who hadn’t seen a doctor in 3 years.

Or calming a worried mother whose child had a simple, treatable infection.

No spotlight. No applause.

But that moment?

That was impact.

🧭 Olava Foundation Taught Me This—Over and Over Again

Some of our biggest wins looked like failures on paper:

A blood donation camp with just 14 donors.

A rainy health check-up day with only 6 patients.

A school awareness talk where only half the students showed up.

But one child did learn.

One mother did feel seen.

One life was changed.

And if the only metric was usefulness—

we succeeded.

🚫 The Danger of Chasing Popularity in the Social Sector

You start designing for donors instead of designing for need.

You forget the ground while aiming for the headlines.

You confuse presence with purpose.

That’s when I remind myself:

> Let our work speak louder than our visibility.

Let the impact whisper what applause cannot.

🧘🏽 What I Ask Myself Before Every New Project

Will this be useful—even if no one sees it?

Would I do it if there were no grant, no photo, no praise?

Will this make a real person’s life just a little easier?

If yes—

we move forward.

Quietly. Powerfully.

✅ What Next?

In your own life—whether you’re building a hospital, running an NGO, or raising a child—

Choose to be useful.

Popularity fades. Usefulness multiplies.

💬 Have you ever chosen purpose over praise? What did it teach you?

Drop a comment. Your story might be the quiet nudge someone else needs today.

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