I was addicted to likes. Here’s what saved me

It was 11:47PM.

And I was refreshing Google Analytics like a slot machine.

“Maybe visitors spiked?” Nope. 3 visitors. It was me.

I had posted a carousel on Instagram. Clean design. A clever hook. Even golden words from Ogilvy for spice.

I waited.

One like.

Two.

My buddy. My girlfriend. My mom. (Awesome engagement, team!)

This was not an isolated incident. It was my entire existence. I was chasing numbers like a sugar high.

CTR's. View counts. “Add to cart” screenshots.

But no one was actually... buying. That night, something snapped. Not loudly. Not dramatically.

Just a quiet, “What the hell am I doing?”

I thought everything was about attention.

More eyeballs. More likes. More comments.

I had this voice in my head: “If it doesn’t go viral, it’s not good enough.”

So I kept dancing for the algorithm. Every reel, every thread, every email — engineered to be catchy.

And? It worked. For a bit. The followers grew. My calendar filled up.

But my brain?

Burnt toast. I was tired. Not physically. Existentially.

Here’s the part that stings to admit: I was doing everything right… but nothing felt real.

It was just noise.

I had no idea who I was talking to — or why. Until I met a founder who changed everything. We were in a client meeting.

He asked, “How do I build up followers?” I asked, “Why do you want them?”

Silence.

Then, “To have more leads.”

“So what are you actually selling?”

Again, silence.

That moment slapped me harder than any analytics chart ever could.

Because that was me. For years.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Attention is petty.
Attraction is priceless.

When you know what you stand for — you must not beg for attention. You start earning it.

Clarity became my secret weapon.

Once I defined the brand — who I help, what I believe, what I don’t do — everything changed.

My content got simpler. My leads became aligned. My stress levels finally... dipped.

Turns out, it doesn’t have to be a circus. Sometimes, it’s a campfire.

You talk.
People gather.
And the right ones stay.

If you’re tired of chasing vanity metrics, try chasing truth instead. Define what you really want.

Say it clearly.
Repeat it often.

Marketing isn’t a sprint to go viral.
It’s a slow dance with those who vibe with your song.

That’s how you build a brand that lasts — without burning out. If this felt like a therapy session for your soul, you’ll love tomorrow’s edition.

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