With numbers floating around constantly, it’s hard to ignore them. They weasel their way into our lives appearing to make it black and white of who is “better” and who is “worse.”  What purpose do those numbers have in our real life though… or signify? Question: If those numbers disappeared, would you be a different person? Would you lead a different life?

Here’s a rant, and a few things to think about when you start the # comparing game.

Stop living by numbers. It’s easier said than done. I see too many people (myself included) focusing on their numbers and putting too much weight into them. Tying our self worth’s to a symbol. A fucking SYMBOL. It’s the follower count, the etsy sales,  the number of likes on a photo, the amount of video views that eat us alive.  They’re something we’ve become so obsessive about in this day and age. It’s like the higher that number climbs, the better we feel about ourselves.

WHY?

When did we become the people living for our numbers? Talk to anyone who has a high follower count and they will most likely tell you that “Numbers don’t matter”. So if they’re not thinking about them, why are we? I get it – numbers are easy to count, and that’s why we like tracking them. They take something that could be grey and make it black and white. One number is bigger than the other – which means it obviously must be better right? Wrong. Why are we letting them control our feelings or motions in life. Why are we letting them define us? Why are we letting them dictate how we interact with others? Someone with 100K followers should be treated no less or better than a person with 0, and the same reversed.

NEXT TIME YOU’RE IN THE COMPARING NUMBERS GAME, STOP + THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS:

1. Popularity doesn’t mean profitability: You’re comparing apples to oranges. Just because someone has a bigger social media number doesn’t mean they are raking in the dough. Just because they’re social media is high, doesn’t mean that so is their bank account.
2. We’re not taking other variables into account: If you’re comparing a thing like Etsy sales, you may not be noticing how long their shop has been open. Or if the number is low, you’re not taking into consideration that their website may be their main money maker. These numbers may be more “solid”, but they’re still an illusion.
3. Pay to play + manipulation: Don’t forget some people cheat and pay for followers and numbers. Others will do anything in their power to gain and grow, such as join Instagram pods and use bots. Maybe they even pay for ads for brand awareness. You have no clue.

Let me remind you: Your number does not define who you are. If your numbers went down to zero in the next 24 hours (unless it’s sales! Eek!) your life would not change. You would not die. So stop living and breathing by your numbers. They’re JUST numbers. So let’s take that back. Let’s stop looking and comparing. Let’s be in control instead of those numbers. If we don’t give them the satisfaction to play a role in our lives, they do just that – they go by the wayside.

STOP SPREADING NUMBERS

While we’re at it, let’s talk about this too because this simple step can help the above. Please for the love of fuck stop sharing your numbers to everyone. By doing this you only give those numbers more power over your life and others. You don’t see large companies yelling at the top of their lungs about their follower count or sales, so why should we? Stay classy friends.

I understand that when we hit milestones we have to celebrate, and I want you to! It’s when it comes to every post that (Example: Wowee, I can’t believe that I have 103 open orders to fill right now!) you might have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Is sharing it actually making you feel better, or more proud? Or is it the craving of praise and numbers you’re actually looking for. The want for people to see how successful you are, and in turn making you count the likes. Would you still be proud of that original number if you didn’t get a single like or comment? Or would it diminish and tarnish it? There’s a line between excitement and bragging.

Don’t forget; Numbers make it so much easier to compare, so think before you speak. You never know if what you’re sharing could be detrimental to someone else, even if you didn’t mean it. Please be humble. Please keep certain things private. In a world of oversharing, your business intel does not need to be shared. You deserve to keep that joy to your own self too. Monitor what makes you happy, but don’t put it out there to get praise. You control your self worth. Not the numbers of others.