You refresh your analytics, chase momentum, and tell yourself the next post will be the one. I’ve been there. And after years of creating content that’s reached millions, I realized something important: the stories that reach a million people are rarely the ones you chase. They’re usually the ones you tell when you stop chasing altogether.

Virality does have a formula. Anyone can go viral. If I danced on stage in my underwear, I’m sure it would travel fast. But the real question is whether it would mean anything, and whether it would be for the right reasons. Timing matters. Emotion matters. Consistency matters. But real impact can’t be hacked. People can feel when something is genuine, and they can feel when it isn’t.

And the numbers? That race never ends. There’s always someone bigger, faster, trending higher. Chasing numbers alone doesn’t lead to happiness, it leads to burnout. I learned that the hard way. That’s why I believe slow growth wins. When you build intentionally, when you focus on trust and connection instead of trends, you create something stronger and more lasting.

Purpose beats burnout. When you know why you’re creating, the pressure fades. You stop worrying about what’s trending or who’s ahead, and you start making work that actually matters to you and to others. Because legacy is what remains. Likes disappear. Views move on. But the stories you tell, the values you live by, and the people you touch stay.

Here’s the irony: the stories worth telling, the ones rooted in meaning are often the same stories that end up reaching millions. The ones you chase just for numbers rarely do. So if you take anything from this, let it be this: create with purpose, focus on impact, and don’t let the algorithm tell you who you are. The rest will follow.