Where heavenly grace and true charity enter in, there neither envy nor narrowness of heart nor self-love will have place. Divine love conquers all and enlarges the powers of the soul...There is no more troublesome, no worse enemy of the soul than you yourself, if you are not in harmony with the spirit.
--- The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a` Kempis
I have been observing people all of my life, as you likely have too. There are some who quietly go about doing good, no fanfare, no applause required. There are others who want attention and praise for every little thing they do.
Rereading The Imitation of Christ, I noticed he saw that too. The above quote us one of quite a few of his comments along that line. His point being when we do do things from a spiritual place in us, it's between us and God. It's not for public attention, not from narrowness of heart or a testimony to self-love, not for some manipulative motive.
His point that covers it all is - if you call yourself a Christian, your job is to imitate Christ, leading you to become Christ-like. Pay attention to the life of Christ. Eliminate from yourself anything unlike Christ. Cease doing things that are unChrist-like. Keep attuning yourself to God, until you are continually aware of The Presence of The Most High.
Most people are not willing to do the work internally. They seek short term entertainment and ego strokes instead. They live shallow lives.
Ask yourself which one are you aiming towards? Is your life goal to live on the surface to public acclaim? Is your life goal to see how close to The Presence you can live and be; to see how much good you can do; to be loving, forgiving, and kind? Your choice makes all the difference.