Chasing Dandelions Instead of Likes

When was the last time you stopped scrolling and truly noticed the world around you? Not just a quick glance out of the window, but really noticed—the way the sunlight flickers through the branches of a tree, how the river ripples when a duck glides past, or the sweetness of blackberries ripening quietly in the hedgerows of a sleepy English village.

As children, many of us knew this kind of magic instinctively. I remember picking dandelions, blowing their fluffy seeds into the air, and watching in awe as they danced like tiny fairies, drifting away on invisible currents. I’d run barefoot through fields trying to catch them, laughing as though I were part of their secret game. Back then, joy was simple. It was found in the breeze, in play, in chasing dandelions instead of likes.

The Double-Edged Sword of the Digital World

Now, as a business owner, I can’t deny how grateful I am for the internet. It’s allowed me—and so many others—to build businesses from our passions, to connect with like-minded souls across the world, and to share stories, creations, and truths that once might have stayed hidden. It’s a tool that has opened doors our ancestors could never have imagined.

But like all magic, the internet comes with shadows. For every connection it creates, there is the temptation of comparison. You post your work and wait for the validation of likes, comments, and shares. When they don’t come as quickly as you’d hoped, the questions creep in:

Maybe my photography isn’t good enough. Maybe my products aren’t special. Maybe people don’t like me at all.

It’s an addictive spiral. You tweak your voice, your photos, your message—watering yourself down until you blend in with everyone else. You follow “10-step formulas to success,” copy the aesthetics of popular accounts, and lose sight of your own magic.

And the irony? All those guides scream: “Be different! Be authentic!” Yet, in following them, you become anything but.

What If We Chose Dandelions Over Algorithms?

Here’s the truth: your magic isn’t found in pleasing the algorithm gods. It’s in trusting the whispers of your soul.

So what if the experts say your reel should only be 30 seconds and you feel called to create one that’s a minute long? So what if your content looks different from what’s trending?

The moments that matter aren’t lived on a screen. They’re found in the hush of a summer afternoon when you’re stretched out on a blanket with your favourite book. In the way your children’s laughter skips through the air at sunset. In the soft brush of your partner’s hand against yours as you walk through a hazy field.

That’s the kind of content that nourishes the soul—the kind that can’t be measured in likes.

Dandelion Lore: Wishes, Healing, and Soul Magic

The dandelion has long been seen as a flower of wishes and transformation. In folklore, blowing on a dandelion clock was believed to carry your dreams to the spirit world, where fairies or ancestors could hear them. Some believed the number of seeds left clinging to the stem revealed how many years you had left until marriage, or how many children you would one day have.

In Celtic tradition, dandelions were linked to the sun, their golden heads a reminder of warmth, strength, and hope. The root was used in healing brews, the leaves for cleansing, the flower for courage.

Spiritually, dandelions remind us to let go. Each seed is a tiny universe of potential, trusting the wind to carry it where it needs to go. Isn’t that a lesson for us, too? To release our grip on perfection, on control, on comparison—and trust that our magic will land where it’s meant to.

A Call to Return to Soul Contentment

When the noise of social media feels overwhelming, when you find yourself questioning your worth or chasing the wrong kind of validation—step outside. Put the phone down. Breathe in the world.

Notice the play of sunlight on water. Taste the sweetness of a hedgerow berry. Lie back in the grass and watch dandelion seeds float, shimmering, across the sky. That stirring you feel in your chest in those moments? That’s soul contentment. That’s your intuition calling you back home.

Maybe the secret isn’t to stop creating, sharing, or using the internet—it’s to root ourselves in what is real, what is magical, what is ours. Maybe the world becomes more beautiful when we remember that our power lies not in chasing likes, but in chasing dandelions.