Creating What Aligns With You (Even When the Internet Tells You Otherwise)

Spend five minutes online and you’ll hear it: “It doesn’t matter what you want. Create value for your audience and you’ll be successful.”

That advice works—for a while. But here’s the truth most people won’t say out loud: if what you’re creating doesn’t align with you, you won’t last.

Many of us start out on this path of making money online to move ourselves away from a corporate or other job that we’re not fully aligned with. Consistency is the real engine behind any long-term success online, and consistency requires alignment.

So, if we’re not aligned - what’s the point?

My Candy ASMR Chapter

A few years back, I started creating candy ASMR videos. At first, it was fun. I had already studied the internet, and I knew that if I became the best in the space, traction would come fast. And it did — monetized, millions of views, then hundreds of millions.

On paper, it was everything creators dream of. But here’s the catch: it wasn’t aligned with me.

I wasn’t passionate about candy or quick hit low effort content, but I also didn’t want to let my audience down. The internet was telling me, “This is what the people want—don’t you dare stop.” But deep down, I knew: if it’s not aligned, it’s not sustainable.

The Internet Noise vs. Your Inner Compass

I think it’s fair to say - we live in an age of noise.

Algorithms shout at you. Comment sections tell you what to make next. Trend cycles demand you keep up.

And yet, your inner compass matters more than all of that.

Because when you build your creative life around trends, you’ll eventually burn out. When you build it around what lights you up—even if it’s slower, quieter, or less “viral”—you can actually keep going. And that’s where the real magic happens.

Why Alignment Matters

• Consistency grows from passion. If you actually enjoy what you’re making, you won’t need to drag yourself to the camera or the keyboard. You’ll naturally show up. Which brings us back to the why: why bother trying to break free from working for someone else, if we’re still going to spend our time doing things that don’t align with who we are?

• Your audience feels it. People can sense when you’re aligned. Energy is contagious - even through a screen.

• Your success compounds. The internet rewards staying in the game. If you create something you can keep doing for years—not months—you give yourself time to build a body of work, a brand, and a business.

What I’d Tell Any Creator

There’s always going to be a trade-off.

Creating what aligns with you might mean a slower start. It might mean fewer views at first. But you’ll still be standing when the trend-chasers have burned out.

Your best bet? Yes, study the internet, consider the data, find what’s already working. Then, create the thing you could do every day without losing yourself. The thing you’d still make even if nobody watched. That intersection exists - I promise.

The real freedom isn’t just in making money online—it’s in doing it in a way that feels like you.

✅ Takeaway: Success without alignment is a trap. Create what actually resonates with you, because that’s the only way you’ll have the energy and consistency to see it through.