You don't need the world to judge, you don't need your investment to pay off, you don't need a social measure of "life" to determine if you've lived yours. So what if you're being used, if being beneficial to your friends brings smiles to your life. So what if your efforts don't pay off, if the process is more important than the ends. So what if there's only so much one can do, if what one does is what one loves.
So what if you can't let go, if holding on is less painful?...
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Nothing is futile, nothing is worth your disappointment, nothing is a joke; someone somewhere will someday appreciate what you've done for whatever reasons you do it for