TikTok is currently unavailable in the United States and many people are going crazy over it. Reasonably so, as thousands have built large followings and businesses through their platform.
This got me thinking about how interesting (and stressful) it must be for creators who relied solely on TikTok to amass a huge following, and are now left without a space to express themselves, connect with their audience, or earn an income.
It's even more interesting—and perhaps more challenging—for those who tied their identity and self-worth to their follower count and individual reach.
I wonder how they're feeling today, unable to sign into TikTok to feed their sense of self—not that I say this judgmentally, as I catch myself doing the same with my chosen platform, Instagram. It has me thinking, though, if this new era of social media has left many disillusioned.
For example, ever since I was a teenager, I’ve been infatuated with the self-help world. I remember being thirteen years old and reading books by Louise Hay—my 'gateway author' into the spiritual realm. Since then, I’ve spent most of my life dreaming of becoming as influential as some of the biggest names in the field.
I deeply love and value my following on Instagram, and I recognize that having close to 7k followers is a significant reach—even though Instagram’s algorithm only shares content with about 4% of your audience.
Yet, I sometimes catch myself comparing the quality and effectiveness of my work to others, especially to larger names in the field or accounts similar to mine that have double or triple my following. It makes me wonder: Is my work as impactful as theirs if my following isn’t growing? What does it say about my work if it doesn’t have the same reach?
It’s an easy trap to fall into, especially in a world that places so much value on numbers—numbers that, quite frankly, aren’t real measures of worth or impact.
Think of it this way: whether you have a platform or not, your individual reach—through your words, actions, and the energy you bring to others—has the potential for infinite impact. To illustrate this, I think about my work at the school I run.
Let’s say a student joins our program after spending most of her life feeling lost, alone, and disconnected from herself. At our school, she experiences a new way of learning, a new way of being, and a sense of belonging within a like-minded community. Over time, she begins visiting my office, sharing her struggles. Through our conversations, and through the energy and insights I offer, she starts to see that she has choices: she can continue feeling disconnected, or she can begin to realize how powerful, capable, and important she truly is.
Now, imagine how she’ll graduate from our program. Will she move forward in life disconnected from herself and others? Or will she take what she’s learned and experienced to build a stronger, more positive, and more connected future? If she chooses the latter, think about the ripple effect this could create.
Whatever career path she follows, whatever relationships she builds, whatever children she may raise—she’s likely to show up in those spaces as a more confident, loving, and empowered individual. Her impact will extend to the people she encounters, and in turn, those people will carry that energy into their own interactions. It becomes an infinite chain reaction of growth and positivity.
When we focus on the real reach of our words and actions, rather than numerical metrics, it’s clear that the potential for impact is far greater than we might imagine.
This is what I remind myself of when I fall into the comparison trap: true impact cannot be measured by followers, likes, or reach on a platform. It’s measured by the lives we touch, the kindness we share, and the energy we bring to the spaces we inhabit.
Even if we can’t see the full extent of our influence, it’s always there, quietly rippling outward in ways we may never fully understand. And how beautiful is that? To not know the full reach you’ve created in those subtle and quiet ways—a magical thought indeed.
So, whether you’re creating content, teaching, mentoring, or simply showing up authentically in your daily life, know this: your work, your words, and your presence matter. They matter more than any algorithm or metric ever could.
And that, in itself, is a reach that’s truly infinite.
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