Social Media Pressure: Why You Shouldn’t Let Anyone Other Than Yourself Define Your Success

I’ve gotta be honest here: I’m sick and tired hearing about people complaining about not being successful (myself included).

Now that the blogging world has become a legitimate industry (which people still don’t really understand), the comparison game is at an all time high. It’s so frustrating when I get these thoughts in my head — “Oh why is she getting this campaign?” or “Why does she have more followers than me?” I can’t believe I’m measuring my own success by looking at what OTHER people are doing. Something about that doesn’t seem right. The social media pressure is very real.

Your work should be the measure of your success

When I look at the work I’ve done over the last five years, I am damn proud of myself. I started as a college student, writing about my outfits, to a fashion industry professional, writing about her life in the greatest city in the world. I’ve worked with brands that I’ve loved and admired for years. And YOY I’ve proven my worth, and my numbers prove it. I need to constantly remind myself that my hard work is enough. While it’s a lot harder than I think, whenever I’m feeling down, I just remind myself to look at what I’m doing, who I’m working with, and my spreadsheet full of positive numbers. I can’t let the social media pressure get to me if I want to continue succeeding.

Comparing yourself to others only leads to competition

And we should be creating community…not competition. In the ever changing world of blogging, I can’t stress the importance of creating relationships in this industry. I have friends that have hundreds of thousands of followers and friends that have less followers than I do. And you know what they all have in common? They inspire me. For me, it’s not about the numbers at all. It’s about the content they create and how they’re using their platform.

If I was comparing myself to these inspiring women, I would drive myself crazy. It doesn’t make sense at all. 1. It’s not good for mental health/overall image, and 2. It’s almost like you’re putting yourself against these people (in your own head). Overall, it just isn’t conducive to a positive work environment. And hey, why would you want to willingly sabotage your relationships with really amazing and inspiring people?

Success has a different meaning for everyone

And that’s ok. For some, it’s money. For other, it’s followers. And for some others, it’s community. Whatever success means to you, it’s up to you to pursue it. It’s not fair to yourself if you make yourself think others are outpacing you. That’s not what success is about. You should 100% be in control of your own success. As long as you’re continuing doing what you love, the path to success is YOURS. Own it. Do you. Put your blinders on and keep finding your own success.

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photos by allie provost