That’s how I felt even before when I tried (operative word: tried) to gain some followers because the book blogging game was fierce back then (think of ARCs). I always thought, Why me? Why this small blog? Why this tiny ripple in this vast ocean? And then years later, I came to terms with the fact that it’s okay to be this tiny (cute?) ripple in the ocean; it might sound insignificant or unnoticeable, but the personal joy it brings to me isn’t something that can be labeled or compensated by being popular!

No, goodness, I’m not telling that people who strive to make it out there are only after fame or that their motivations are shallow (I don’t know them personally, so who am I to judge them) Honestly, I do look up to big bloggers who share their expertise and experience with others. And I know they worked hard to achieve what they have now. Even being solely an Instagrammer is full of hard work (and money, me thinks), much more if they are also simultaneously active in all platforms aside from blogging! That ain’t easy, y’know. I bet they spend so much time and even money to achieve those, and I salute them! But I’ve decided that it’s not and will never again be the reason why I want to blog.

This blog is for me and only for me. If people do find something useful, then I’m glad to know, but I’m sorry if I always say how much my own enjoyment and personal passion weigh more. Because it is, and it’s not gonna change. But I do hope, in small ways, that my readers (if there are any) find value in what I write. I don’t mind being a tiny ripple—at least it exists and is happening; that’s totally fine with me.

I think someone said (in twitter, I’m not sure who among the people I follow said it or if it was just someone that liked it or retweeted it) that there’s no such thing as big or small bloggers, but I disagree; let’s be frank, numerically speaking, there are big bloggers—the popular ones, the ones who people follow, and there are small ones like me! To those who are satisfied with their own blogs and their success. The motivation, effort, and goal of each blogger shouldn’t be dismissed by the number of their followers. It shouldn’t be just a number game. I think one thing that we should always keep in mind is that each blogger has different and maybe unique motivations and goals for why they blog.