Accomplishments don’t live in a vacuum. When we have achieved something, when there is a success to announce, you are almost numb to its sweetness unless it’s shared with others — unless you can revel for a few minutes in the congratulations of others. But often, our most precious moments of success come far too late for those who, in some way or another, we have always been trying to impress. The profound effect of someone telling you that you can’t do something, that you’re not good enough, We will climb mountains and cross oceans just to get the nod of approval and perhaps even a precious pat on the back from the person who told us we couldn’t. Even though we shouldn’t spend our time or energy on the people who spurn and demoralize us, their disbelief acts more as a motivator — I will graduate, I will get this job, I will buy a house. How much of our accomplishments are based, to some degree, on spite?