Claps Don’t Mean a Thing

Why you shouldn't be pressured to applaud

It makes you feel good, doesn’t it? Acceptance. Validation. Approval. Claps. Applauds. From other people. But to be truly content in life, you don’t need outside validation to keep doing what you enjoy doing.

And here on Medium, it doesn’t even dictate your earnings. So it’s not a big deal if you ask me.

As a writer on Medium, I read as many articles as possible. Why? Because I can’t run from reading. To improve as a writer I have to read, and I also read to support my fellow writers.

But on this platform, it is my reading time that counts. That’s what really matters. Get me to read your article. That's what’s important.

But don’t get me wrong. Claps matter. I am more than likely to click on an article with 1,000 claps than one with ten. Those articles with 1,000 claps have authors who worked hard to earn them.

Claps are earned and the main reason I won’t clap for every article is that it shows up on my feed as something I found to be great. And to be honest, I only want the best articles appearing on my page for my readers.

Sorry, not sorry.

That is me redirecting my readers to something I found informative or inspiring, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint them by showing them an article that might not meet that expectation, even if I like the message behind it.

And also an article can be great and all but full of typos and grammatical errors — not cute. Clapping for that means it becomes associated with me.

Whether people clap for your work or not, you do not need validation to continue to work hard and put out your best work. People might still read your work and decide not to clap. It doesn’t mean your work is not good. They might have their own reasons for not doing so.

You don’t need claps to be motivated to write something daily. And while they may make you feel good, if you already know who you are and what you are capable of — and you do the work every day to improve yourself — you will naturally feel validated because you are doing what you love.

And that’s why I won’t always clap, even when I know it’s good. I just nod, highlight an excellent line, smile, and think great work.

It is the way your work makes me feel afterward that matters. And don’t worry about the rewards. They will come as long as you are dedicated.

Just keep writing. Don’t stop writing.

As a writer on Medium, you get paid by reading time only. Not claps or applauds. So your goal is to focus on getting your reader to read your entire article and not worry about how many claps you’ve managed to get.

And if someone claps for your work, then be proud of yourself because you’ve really earned it.

If you know who you really are and what you are capable of, all you have to do is keep your eyes on the bigger picture and just watch the sun shine on you.