Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting in his entire lifetime. It was only well after he died that he became recognized as one of the greatest painters of all time. Still, every day that he awoke and took to his canvas he was achieving greatness unbeknownst to the world.
Don’t confuse achievement with recognition. Achievement is earned, and it happens with the brush in your hand. Recognition is fickle- it may come before achievement (a tech startup raises a huge round of V.C. money), after the fact (in Van Gogh’s case), or never at all.
100 Words of Fortitude 