Give yourself an award

My Facebook feed is full of my Dental colleagues posting pictures of them being awarded prizes and medals announced by various Facebook groups. I just cannot fathom why people still crave to be chosen.
The whole concept of winning an award, publishing a paper or winning a competition is a remnant of the distant past.
There was a time not -so-long ago, when the only way to be known was to get picked by somebody – win an award or present a paper.
In the past, the only way to publish your work was if some journal or magazine selected your work or if some organization invited you to speak.
Today, anyone who has a computer and an internet connection can publish his/her work.
Today, anyone can give a lecture from their living room and reach far more number of people than a lecture hall can ever hold.
There is no need to rely on any organization, individual or publisher to showcase your work or to put you on a pedestal.
Instead of waiting for someone to pick you; pick yourself!
The only thing that matters is to be consistent and generous in sharing your work to the specific audience of your choice.
Everything else is just noise.