If a victory had no witnesses and no record, which part of winning would remain?

Strip away the witnesses and the record, and what remains of winning is only what the doing gave you. For some victories that residue is substantial: the knowing, the capability, the private satisfaction. For others there is very little left, which is worth discovering before you spend years on them.

Run the test on something you are currently pursuing. If nobody would ever know, would you still want it? A no is not shameful; wanting recognition is ordinary and human. But it does tell you what you are actually buying, and it lets you go after the recognition directly rather than through a proxy that costs far more.