N – The Number Game. #AtoZ

Posted on by writershilpa

 

The A to Z blogging challenge

270 followers on  Metanoia

314 followers on  Instagram

1337 Likes for posts on Metanoia

10,600 footfalls on Metanoia since its inception last August.

You must wonder why I am mentioning the number of followers and the number of Likes I received for my posts, isn’t it?

No, don’t worry! I am not losing my mind, neither am I trying to show-off! I am just being human (pun unintended)!

I have always maintained that I write for myself and for my happiness. Writing is what kept me afloat in the past few years through some terrible times I experienced.

However, there are times, nowadays, when my mind hungers for more. More as in, the curiosity to find out how many people Like my posts and my shares/ how many followers does my blog have, etc etc.

That’s just how we humans are — hungry for more — so it’s okay to talk about it!  I mean, we are quite an unsatisfied lot, aren’t we?

Our motto in Life being —

“Yeh dil maangey more!”  

So, at times, when I see the number of Likes for my Instagram pictures, or my blog posts  below my expectations, I squirm inwardly. Then, I go visit other bloggers, look at their followers and ‘Likes’ and squirm some more!

Let me admit something, first. I am not in the least bit embarrassed being this frank, because, come on…don’t we all do it, albeit secretly!?

It’s okay.  Go ahead, admit it!

We are all humans here — flawed beings with minds that work in weirdly unexplainable  ways. There may be some blessed and ‘sorted’ souls who give two  hoots about who reads their posts, or Likes their stuff, but the majority of us do…even if unconsciously!

And, I place all the blame squarely on social media for this hunger that we humans have developed. The more Likes, the more Followers, the higher our self-esteem.

Pathetic, isn’t it? As if these ‘significant’  numbers are going to get us any special recognition, or some award for Life!

So, I am writing this post to get help for myself. Help in learning to move beyond this ridiculous belief. Help in assuring myself that numbers aren’t everything.

I know for a fact that “Content is King“; I also hold on to this belief and work accordingly. But, it’s for those rare moments when the thoughts, nay, the obsession with numbers takes over my sanity and leaves me feeling miserable.

So, today’s post is really a request for help for me and many more like me, to get us out of this petty game and learn to blog/write/create in peace, just for our happiness. Create with the knowledge that, success will come with time, when it is supposed to, and until then, all we ought to do, is keep working with happiness as our only goal.

So, anybody…somebody…with a piece of advice for this at-times-distraught soul?

Do you, too, indulge in this number game? If you have ‘been there, done that’, then pray tell me how you shifted your focus from the numbers to your happiness.

 

Love,

SHILPA…

April 2018 A to Z blogging Challenge

 

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge is all about my blog, Metanoia, and my blogging journey from the time  I started, 5 years ago. The lessons I learnt, the tips and tricks I picked up from fellow bloggers and the guidelines I could have used back when I began.

You will find all of my A to Z posts here.

 

Published by writershilpa

Writing and art are, for me, a panacea for my restless Geminian nerves. Blogging gives me peace in the chaos called Life, and art helps me distract my wandering mind. An obsession with healthy eating and fitness led me to create this health and wellness blog. Apart from health posts you will also find book reviews, my art work and experiments with words here, at Metanoia. My writing companions--my pets--offer me precious insights into Life and are a constant source of inspiration to me! So, do get comfy, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy your visit. Your presence here means a lot to me, you know?

27 thoughts on “N – The Number Game. #AtoZ”

  1. I can totally understand. The likes and all the social media validation that we long for! But yes, content is the key along with originality. After 5 or 10 years, when you look back at your posts, you will be glad to have maintained your genuine voice rather than following the crowd 😊

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Raj! Yes, it’s only in the future that I will realise how happy my posts make me, much more than the number of Likes I received for them! 🙂
      ❤

      Like

  2. I give you a 100 for your honesty. We all do it. I do it all the time. If I see a post that I did not like that much got quite a few comments I feel ‘bad’ also. Then again often I like a post by some blogger and find that hardly any comment then also I feel bad. We all do it but none admit.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yeah, we all do, Balaka! 😛

      The question is, when will we stop doing it? We have reached middle age and have attained enough maturity, and yet we behave like kids! “Usko itney Likes, mujhe sirf itney?” 😀

      Like

  3. No comments because all you said 200% true.. At a stage, it made me breathless to maintain the same in all the social medias i follow. i stopped posting in the Insta and FB quite sometime before. Hope to restart with some fresh ideas after this challnge. well written with truthful guts shilpa:)

    Like

    1. At times, I just let my craziness get the better of me and get carried away in the number game, Deepa. And, sometimes I care a damn if anybody liked my post or commented, or whatever. I felt peace and happiness while writing it and that’s all that matters most. It’s only for certain moments that I need to work on this crazy obsession! 😛

      Like

  4. You have got it bang on! It’s very difficult but so important to stay ‘true’ to what you do. I’ve realized that when I write for myself, I am the happiest. When I try to think what should I write that others will ‘like’ more I not only get frustrated while writing it, but also realize the futility when I don’t get the likes!
    Hope you continue to write from you heart and that you get genuine love for it in the form of likes and shares from your followers! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Dont worry Shilpa; this number race stays with you only for a little while. Then you forget about it and just write as if no one is reading 😉
    Trust me I am saying this from my own experience. I did get caught up in this number game till I came across some bloggers who would be extremely competitve about this; numbers would dictate everything for them. Looking at them and their discussion, I grew disgusted with it for I was writing to sate myself!
    Slowly the numbers went out of my head 🙂

    N is for Night Circus #atozchallenge

    Liked by 2 people

  6. We’re all human Shilpa and love the numbers going up. I think the only time I’m upset when the number goes up is when I’m on the weighing scale. But yes, you’re right we do write for ourselves and our little egos that get inflated when we see the right numbers

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I actually do not bother with the stats. I believe in reciprocity. If someone has taken the effort to come read, like and comment on my post, the least I could do is thank them, reply to their comment and visit their blog. I don’t check out the wordpress reader (i’ve been meaning to, though!) so I don’t usually bother about blog followers or me following. If I happen to like a blog, I bookmark it in my browser and keep checking it out periodically. Stats are good, but like in studies, they take away the fun in blogging as well 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. True, isn’t it? Validation feeds our egos and gives us the necessary boost. Having said that, we really ought to work on moving beyond it all and focus only on creativity to find true happiness! 🙂

      Thank you, Rohan!

      Like

  9. I’m a relatively new blogger – so I avoid the number analysis to keep myself from getting disheartened!! I used to count like on Facebook and Instagram once upon a time … but mostly avoid all of that now.

    Love genuine social media interactions … once i’d blogged about a house and sketches of it. The architect later on stumbled upon it … was so excited. Can still remember that feeling 🙂

    https://lonelycanopyblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/15/nothing-like-school-memories/

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I started blogging in my happy place and continue to stay there, least worried about stats. Numbers are numbers–and matter with sponsored content. However, if what we do does not make us happy, what’s the point? ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Okay, am I the only one who doesn’t care about the numbers? I’ve never checked the stats of my blog for ages and I don’t keep a tab or check anything. I just write what I want to and I’m very happy with the comments I get or don’t get.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. It is quite human to obsess over numbers but really unless you are doing sponsored posts, how does it matter? As long as we enjoy what we write and read. I just love it when my friends read and share their thoughts on what I write. More people reading is a bonus. But since my blogs are monetized, I do pay attention to the stats.

    Like

    1. True, Rachna. I simply love it when I see some wonderful, heartfelt comments on my posts…these words make my day. But, since some time now, I have been bit by the numbers bug, and hence this obsession! 😛 It will pass with time, I know!

      😛

      Like

  16. Oh its ok to love your numbers and gloat abou it. Its your hardwork and numbers are significant in making you feel good. You are doing a fine job with your blog Shilpa!!! Geez,,, i need to hide inside my hole again. Numbers again :((((

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hehehe! Ramya, the numbers have been driving me crazy for some time now. I do enjoy writing more but at times I enjoy seeing the numbers!😅😅 Oscillating between creation and adulation! Pathetic me!!

      Like

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