Approval games and the hedonic treadmill

The feeling that you get by putting your work out there and getting a positive response, especially on social media, is a perfect example of the idea of the hedonic treadmill. According to this idea, you will adapt to whatever level of wealth, status, and positive (or even negative) changes to your life.

Since I started blogging every day about a month ago. I had no particular expectation of an audience. I have had over 350 unique visitors from a dozen countries around the world to my blog to date, which amazes me. I also know I have inspired at least one other person to start their own blog.

You might get a life-changing promotion at work, but within a year or so, it won’t feel like you are any better off. You start off getting a couple of readers on your blog and It is exciting and amazing to grow your audience, but after a few weeks you feel disappointed if a post doesn’t reach ten times what used to make you happy.

I want to grow my audience so that I can share my work and ideas with more people who benefit from it. If my work provides value for other people and for me, then the growth is beneficial beyond the likes.

But if I want to escape the hedonic treadmill. I need to learn to be happy with my audience as it is. I need to be content with how it is right now, whatever that is. This isn’t an approval game for me. I am not in it for the likes. I want to share something of real value.

Thank you for reading my posts and visiting my website. I hope I can provide something of value to you.