your self worth isn't on trending
I had a conversation with my therapist a while back about my personal blog. When I first started this blog, I told him that I really didn't care if my blog got popular or not, that I was doing this for me. Since then, I've had a couple of my posts end up on trending, either directly from this blog or stuff I've written for the Gazette.
My opinion remains the same, I do not care.
I do care in the sense that I'm glad a message spoke to so many people. However I'm not going to cater to trying to get on the trending page. I don't write to seek validation, I write to get something out and if people resonate with that, then that's great.
I feel like in the age of social media, there is so much pressure to cater to an "algorithm". People have been groomed into placing their self worth on how much engagement a post gets. Sometimes people will find a post randomly end up on a trending page and getting lots of engagement and then try and chase the dragon to recapture that brief moment of "fame". It's all extrinsic motivations.
I like to think of my blog as those YouTube vlogging channels back in the late 2000s, when it was just someone yapping into a camera. I'd like to keep it that way.
Whether my post gets 45 toasts or 7, it makes little difference to me. Because as I write, in my head I'm writing for me and my friends. I'm writing like I'm giving one of my friends advice, or shooting the shit about something dumb I'm encountering. Just now I'm having this one-way conversation with people passing by throughout their day, if they stop to listen and engage, then that's cool.
If I was to try and gear myself try and get on trending I would quickly burn out. For me, as soon as motivation becomes extrinsic, I immediately get bored or irritated easily. I don't want that. I hate ruining hobbies because I'm trying to match someone else's expectation.
I encourage the same for you, stop worrying about getting on trending if you find yourself doing that. Stop looking at the analytics page if it's putting you in a negative headspace. Don't feel discouraged if people aren't replying via email or toasting your article. Just keep going, remind yourself why you started blogging in the first place.
I think of the friends I made on this platform, some of whom end up on trending quite often. Would I value their writings any less if it wasn't on trending? No of course not, so why do that to myself?
This isn't a job, it's a hobby. Keep it that way.
Pirate is wearing black converse, green khakis, black Linkin Park tee, red flannel
Pirate is feeling happy
Pirate is listening to Return of Saturn : No Doubt
Pirate is playing Halo 3 pre-release builds
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