Not getting many 'likes' has helped me to become really clear about my passion, my purpose, and intention with me writing and me sharing.
At first, about a year ago, I thought that 'likes' would correlate with my time and effort that I spent on the piece (I am new to social media in the sense of posting stuff that really means something to me). I write as authentically, personally, and privately as I can. It takes days, sometimes weeks to produce a blog post. For this reason, 'likes' will NOT correlate. I got past that pretty quickly.
I noticed I kept writing and I found satisfaction in the writing itself, and the blessing of having the ability to write again in a way that made me proud. It was just such a relief, and satisfaction when I posted, that's it.
I just let go of stuff that I had suppressed for various reasons. Instead of thinking about the 'likes' I didn't get, I really appreciated the likes I did get but without the illusion of them being more than just 'a like' (some positive energy coming my way). Thanks for giving me some energy back, friends.
And it also made me write unconditionally. There were no demands, no expectations, no ROI other than the feeling of gratitude for what I just created and expressed and the courage to share it and the relief it gave me –peace in my inner world– until the next text wanted to be born.
It's always nice with 'likes' and to have my intention –to inspire– to be met, but without this experience of almost no 'likes', I would not have developed –what I think– is a healthy relationship to external validation which is now secondary to the validation I give myself for what I create and why I do it.
The lack of 'likes' starved my ego that was serving outside validation, and helped me steer my ego back to serving my heart and inside validation instead.
Not only did the lack of 'likes' help me get clear on my passion, purpose, and intention for writing, and posting, but also my overall vision and mission with the rest of my days. How can I not be grateful for that?
Everyone I have met IRL that has referred to my work, has expressed appreciation for it, and that it inspires.
This experience has made me think a lot about 'likes' in general, and what they really are. I Image that they are our online currency. The name of this currency is energy and it has the shape of this ”like button”. So when you read something that makes you inspired you can, if you want, press the button. And that is sending positive energy back to me, in this scenario being the creator.
But, the like button is also a relief on the inspiration you feel. Inspiration is a call for action of some sort. When we don't act on inspiration it eventually starts to hurt us. One type of "action" is there, the like button. Therefore, the like button is also there for you, in this scenario the consumer, and it should give YOU something as well if you choose to press it. You are "giving thanks for the inspiration" which is a super nice feeling for you as well.
Imagine your 'like' being your personal currency. If you use it all the time, you don't run out of it, but you deflate it. You create some kind of inflation on your own personal brand. And I, as the creator, make up the value of your currency as a consumer of my piece … A really weird though, right? But it resonates with me. Obviously, I am not into marketing, but I wonder if this is where we are going?
You see, people that like everything, but nothing that matters, people who never confess and show their true colors, their 'like' just don't matter to me as much as the 'like' of someone with integrity on these different social platforms. You and I can have different values but I can still value your like more because I know that you don't give them away for free.
Maybe this is my dream scenario. Maybe I am just creating my own reality far away from everyone else's. But these ideas make me excited.
So, press the like button if you like what you read and get inspired. The like button will send some positive energy back to me, which is nice. Thank you! It is nice to have, but should never become a need to have, and you should never give out of pity or guilt (that applies to all areas of life btw).
Spend your currency, and as always, spend it wisely.
To anyone struggling with likes, in one way or the other:
The price for expressing is always there. The more unique, controversial, or inconvenient the expression, the more it costs in terms of reputations and outside validation. Fuck reputation. Fuck outside validation. If you are not what you do, maybe you should do more of what you are, and say what you like. It's your birthright you know, to express yourself freely, and if we don't use it we lose it.
Find your own authentic unique creative expression of what your soul wants to say. The world needs THAT, with or without likes.
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