I’ve read more than a few posts where bloggers are beating themselves up over getting caught up in the numbers…
THE STORY
…Not enough followers, or maybe a ton of followers and now it doesn’t seem to be enough. The vast majority of those of us who blog, started the endeavor as a labor of love. Whether it be a love of fashion, food, travel or whatever the topic we are passionate about it. We wanted to share our love and knowledge of said topic with others.
At first, the only people reading our blog are, well, maybe no one. But yet we keep plugging away. Why? Because we love it; it’s our baby, our pride and joy. Eventually though, others begin to take notice and read what we have to say. Comments trickle in and perhaps a few emails. This is self-gratifying so we work a little harder and put even more effort into it. Then come the first collaboration opportunities. Wow! People really are noticing our existence in the cyber-world. Perhaps now we invest in a blog redesign and our very own domain name along with a self-hosted site. Yep, now we’re feeling big time. And we start paying attention to the numbers.
Bloglovin’, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, email subscribers….the numbers continue a steady uptick. And we are excited; perhaps even a bit obsessive. It’s at this point it seems the self-flagellation starts. And in my opinion it’s entirely unwarranted. There is absolutely no shame in paying attention to the numbers if it is for the right reasons.
If your self-worth is tied up in the number of follows, likes, views or unique visitors then yes, perhaps you need to take a step back and get your perspective straight. If, on the other hand, you use the numbers as a form of improvement, as a way to hone your skills as a blogger then I’m not seeing the problem.
Blogging is a hobby for me; something I enjoy doing for myself much like when I used to be a competitive bodybuilder. I did that for me just like I blog for me. It’s a creative outlet, one which I want to continue to improve at much like I wanted to improve my tricep definition when I was lifting. Each time I worked my triceps, I increased the weight, the reps or the sets. The numbers were a way to see visible improvement much the same way your blog-related numbers are an indicator of improvement.
Say for example, you run 5k’s. Is it okay for you to hit the same times every race? Maybe it is, but probably not. That does not make you vain. Or shallow. Or a deplorable human being. It makes you interested in improving your running skill. So why all of this self-loathing over being interested in our blog-related statistics? There is not a thing wrong with wanting to improve; whether it be our tricep definition, our running times or our blog numbers.
THE OUTFIT
Aside from cozy sweatshirts, flannel is one of my favorite things to wear in the Winter. This plaid flannel tunic from Angels Jeans is the perfect little bit of soft coziness (and it’s currently on sale for $17.99!). I have found that for the most part, their tops run true to size, but this one I had to size up. I don’t think that it’s a sizing issue on their part though. I have broad shoulders and the girls are, well, the girls, and typically with button downs I have to size up.
The boots…now here’s an interesting story. I got them on clearance several years ago (I don’t remember where) and when they arrived I just wasn’t a fan. They were slouchy, but a weird not cool kind of slouchy. They sat in the closet for a long long time and I was about to get rid of them when a bolt of genius struck. I wrapped long brown rawhide laces around the shaft and…voila! Super cool slouchy cinched boots. Like I’ve said before, sometimes my clothes hoarder tendencies pay off.
THE TIP
Before totally giving up on a piece in your wardrobe that you’re not sure of see if there just might be some easy creative tweak that you can give it to transform it into something that you love.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Tunic: c/o Angels Jeans; Boots: Similar; Jeans: Old Navy (Similar)
**Plaid flannel tunic provided c/o Angels Jeans. As always, all opinions are my own.
