We’ve all been conditioned for years by social media to seek external validation from our social circle and the greater world beyond. Likes, comments, subscriptions, followers: it’s the measuring stick we find ourselves using to measure our success in our endeavors and sometimes even our worth as people. We find ourselves spending as much time crafting our posts as we do building our businesses, our creations don’t feel real unless there’s eyeballs on them, and trips to the gym don’t feel like they really happened unless that mirror selfie gets posted.

It’s easy, in this environment we find ourselves in, to become tremendously discouraged when a painstakingly crafted post seems to go nowhere. An algorithmic quirk buries your output and suddenly you feel invisible and unworthy. Did everyone stop caring? Do they think you’re a waste of time? These doubts creep in very quickly, sometimes just one post with low engagement can have you doubting everything. 

At a time like that you have to ask yourself which is more important? Your goals or your view counts? The results or the likes? If servers shut down tomorrow, would you shut down too? You’re the only person in the whole world with a front row seat to your every waking moment, the ones that aren’t glamorous enough to film. You’ve gone through all that without an audience, and maybe sometimes it’s okay if you’re the only one who sees the highlight real. You won’t be impressing anyone, but you will hold your head up high subconsciously because you know what you’ve gone through to get where you are. 

Go ahead, keep posting, and if you have to, find ways to game those algorithms into getting you an audience. But remember: if you’re not doing it for yourself first and foremost, all the likes in the world won’t keep you going forever.