Stop Focusing on Likes and Followers: 3 Things To Focus On Instead
We have become a culture of numbers.
How many followers do I have? How many likes did I get on my recent post? How many views did I get?
We seek validation for our time and effort. We want to be liked by others and want immediate gratification for the work that we are doing.
Well, let me tell you, oftentimes it can be very discouraging if we do not get the likes, shares, and reposts, but are we putting out content just to put it out, or are we sharing because we enjoy what we do?
Is it because we like to help our #PLF (Personal Learning Family)? Or because we are trying to personally grow and become experts in our craft?
How do we stop focusing on likes?
We should focus on enjoying more. Not just in the moment of a job well done or an accomplishment, but also when it comes to the work that we are doing. If you’re putting out content because you enjoy what you’re doing, you’re going to enjoy it more and be happier. If you’re putting out content because you want to help your #PLF, then you’ll enjoy it more and be happier. And if we are focusing on becoming experts in our craft (as opposed to just getting likes) then we will most likely enjoy what we’re doing as well.
If we focus on helping MORE, then that can make us happy too! Helping others is a powerful way to create joy for ourselves while at the same time creating value for others. It’s a win-win when we help people out because they are grateful that we took an interest in their life or helped with a problem they were having. Personal growth stems from our inherent desire to help other people, and who doesn’t want to be a better person? Personal happiness leads to professional success. Personal growth is about improving ourselves so that we can enjoy a better life.
So how do we stop focusing on followers? Focus on becoming MORE.
The more you become the master of your craft, the easier it is to find joy in what you do. Personal growth is about becoming more: smarter, better at what you do. Personal happiness and professional success stem from this desire to become more of who we are meant to be. Personal happiness leads to professional success which again, brings us back to personal happiness.
The key takeaway here is that if you want your life to improve in every area — professionally and personally — then it’s important for us not only to focus on our numbers or followers but also try focusing on enjoying more (personal enjoyment), helping more (creating joy by being generous with others) and becoming MORE so that we can reach new levels of personal growth which will lead us back into a fulfilling career!
Alfonso Mendoza Jr., M.Ed. is an Instructional Technologist, Instructional Designer, Doctoral Student, Podcaster, and Google Innovator that is passionate about education.
Visit www.myedtech.life connect with me on Twitter @MyEdTechLife
