Wearing: Topshop Dress | WhoWhatWear Collection Mules | ZARA Bag | Quay Australia Sunnies
So I’ve been in a funk for the last two weeks or so and I can’t put my finger on what exactly. I don’t really know how I feel, to be honest. I’ve heard some people say they feel the same way and its because of Retrograde. Retrograde or not, I think it’s just a trying time for a lot of us but we just have to believe and know that we will get through this!
There are a few things that have me down at the moment but at the top of the list is Instagram. Instagram and this awful algorithm. This month has probably been the worst for me since they first implemented the algorithm change last year. We all know that the likes or engagement that come with every photo is inconsistent. However, its been consistently bad for me this month and I can’t help but beat myself up about it.
Am I doing something wrong? Am I not doing enough? Do I know my audience? Do my followers read my captions? Do my outfits suck?! LOL, guys, I’ve seriously been going through it. I can’t figure it out and its driving me insane. I can’t outsmart the algorithm. Instagram is the one thing I cannot control.
We’re always told to not to focus on the numbers. Just create, be consistent, be yourself. All of those things are true but when you’re outside shooting for 5+ hours, you want your content to be seen, ya know?! You want the likes, the engagement and the reach. You want the work you’re putting in to be seen and appreciated. At the end of the day, the likes, reach and engagement are out of our control. It’s not something we can force. We really don’t have a choice but to create, be consistent and be ourselves. We have to hope that the content we produce is good, people will like it and want to see more. We have to stop letting Instagram define us.
When I worked in retail, one of my managers would always say “control the controllables.” If you worked in retail, you knew rainy days were always the slower days and customers would rarely come in. The weather was out of our hands but what we could control, was converting the customers who did come in to shop. Things are not always on our side but its up to us to control and change the outcome.
Instagram and the algorithm are out of my control. I’m tired of it not working in my favor and I’m tired of complaining about it! Instagram isn’t going anywhere and the likelihood of the algorithm going back to normal is pretty low. It’s easy to lose sight of the good when you focus on the bad and what’s not working. Instead of investing all of my time into what I can’t fix, it’s time I focus on what I can do.
I can control my attitude, my mindset and my happiness. I can acknowledge how far I’ve come in the past two years of blogging and know there is still more work to do. I can be grateful for the fact that regardless of the numbers, brands still want to work with me. I can appreciate the people who lift me up and encourage me to keep going. I can trust the timing and the path I am on.
I can keep creating content. As hard as it is, I can stop focusing on the numbers so much. I can work harder. I can pitch myself to more brands. I can push myself out of my comfort zone and keep evolving. I can challenge myself. I can be kinder to myself. I can get out of my own way. None of this is possible without me and it’s up to me to change the outcome. I can only control the controllables.