because he was on super alert for any perceived slight or criticism , so therapy would have stalled right there . What rapport we had would have evaporated like mist in the Sun .
But certainly Mike ' s desire for universal praise was causing him problems . After all , if you consider yourself to be basically a ( rock ) god , it can be tiresome to walk among mere mortals .
Wanting without working
We all know , or at least we should know , that fame , money , and universal adulation ( if such a thing were possible or even genuinely desirable ) are best produced as side effects of our endeavours rather than pursued as goals in their own right .
Many of us , me included , have sometimes dreamed of fame , riches , perhaps even the words we might use during an award acceptance speech to display how simultaneously amazing yet humble we are .
I have , I admit , occasionally had such misty-eyed fantasies while , say , washing the dishes or waiting in line to buy cat food as just another face in the crowd . Usually the contemptuous glance from the cashier because I ' m staring into empty space is enough to bring me back to myself !
These kinds of fantasies may not be that uncommon and may not cause too much harm in and of themselves . They may even be a comfort , a source of real aspiration , or simply idle entertainment .
But overwhelmingly seeking fame purely for fame ' s sake has a dark side .