Hello lovethesun,

this is a great topic that you've raised and I am sorry you are feeling disheartened. Sycophants are emotionally quite shallow and under-developed. Have you ever met a shallow and under-developed person who presented with inner peace and true happiness? Unlikely. True peace does not come from trophies and awards. it comes from within. Therefore a person with a severely limited capacity for sincere human connection (such as a sycophant) is highly unlikely to be at peace. They spend every moment of the day trying to take advantage or manipulate. I would not call that "winning," would you? Sounds more like misery.

Honesty and hard work are indeed appreciated in this world. Appreciation does not necessarily mean a trophy or award. Yes, I have seen people at work be complimented or acknowledged in ways that I found very odd. But I've also noted the hard workers, the empaths, the ones who don't cheat. I personally have acknowledged them both directly and to management. If I do that, I know there are plenty of other humans out there who do so too. Do you do that yourself? Rather than focusing on less than stellar colleagues, do you make a note of great workers and find ways to show appreciation for them? One day I sent a simple 3 line email to a colleague who worked through something very difficult with a client. She came to me in tears because she was so grateful to feel appreciated on a tough day. The email only took me 5 minutes.

What may be important here is your perception of "winning" in life. If you feel unsuccessful in life because you are not being given awards, it may be helpful to reflect on attainment versus inner peace. Or competition versus personal happiness.

I wish you peace, hope, and a bright future. You may be appreciated at some point in the future when you really don't expect it.