What Kind of Attention Are You Attracting?
Everybody likes attention. We do all sorts of things to make the world pay attention to our existence. We forget to focus on the quality of attention we are attracting. This is especially true on social media.
When you are stripping clothes, dancing naked, what kind of people do you think you will bring to your profile? Sure, you will have thousands of followers, but what kind of followers? What kind of things will they expect from you? I am being extreme, but you cannot expect warmth from people who came looking for lust.
So before you engage in mindless activities on social media or in real life, you need to evaluate the kind of people you will end up attracting through those activities. You start playing sports because you want to look cool. That is not necessarily a bad idea. You might even learn a thing or two, but don’t expect people who are interested in literature to suddenly become your friends. It is never going to happen.
If you are in a position where you receive a lot of attention, notice the kind of people who are coming towards you. Assess them independently. Judge their actions if you want, but ask yourself a simple question: if you are in a soup, do you think they will get you out of it? Even better, ask yourself, would you want to share your heart with them if you ever felt weak?
If the answer is no, then you have to evaluate your behaviour. Which actions of yours have brought them towards you? What are they attracted to in you? Are you being authentic?
I believe in self-improvement, in working towards becoming a better version of yourself, but that version has to be the most authentic one. Whoever comes closer to you should do so because of who you are, not because of what you choose to exhibit that day.
Getting attention is not the end goal. It shouldn’t be. The quality of attention you receive will determine whether you feel good about yourself or feel like you betrayed yourself.