This is an old story for celebrities and star athletes. It’s considered part of the package. Yes, you get fame and wealth, but you also get the microscope. Your mistakes will be splashed across the media, and some people will always and forever you define you by the things you’ve done wrong.

But what struck me about those words was the sudden recognition that, increasingly, this is how we all live now. Talk to anyone who has even the smallest public voice, and they’ll tell you that “they’re waiting” is the constant background of their lives. Every bad tweet. Every bad take. Every bad thought is preserved, catalogued and spit back at you, constantly and with a vengeance.

Your mistake? Your sin? That’s who you are. It defines you.

And it’s not just public figures. “They’re waiting” applies to your bad Instagram post and your terrible Facebook take. “They’re waiting” means that your worst moment can make you famous, and when you become famous for your worst day, you can never truly shake the shame.