Hate to admit it, as I do, my ego as a blogger is larger than most 2 bedroom houses in Bangalore. And you know, how huge a 2BHK house in Bangalore can get. Well my ego as an individual is rather large too but when I put on my blogger hat, things take a turn for the worst.

There are characteristic traits within me, that I have been able to identify, as signs of having a displeasing ego which I have mapped within this story. Which is what got me thinking about the blogger community. Brands and PR agencies interact with a lot of bloggers and have to deal with some of them that may not necessarily leave them with a good after-taste. I am pretty certain, for some of them, I am on the list as well. I mask my ego with the excuse that I know what I am doing and am good with my work. Therefore I will state my terms which are non-negotiable and only deliver after a certain time and brands will have no say with the content that goes into what I write. Which brings me to the first sign.

1. You use “I” a lot more than you should
   You would notice how in the previous paragraph, I have focussed all of my energies on myself. The argument perhaps can be that I am the best example since this isn’t really a flattering topic. But in other scenarios too, if you find yourself talking about yourself a lot then it is a sign. It could be talking about yourself in good or bad scenarios but it always is you. It always is about you. That should raise a flag. Share some of that love with the other elements in your life too, you must.
2. You constantly judge other bloggers
   When I started out blogging 2 years ago, I would constantly pit myself against other bloggers in the same space. I would scroll through their work and think to myself, what shitty images, how poor is the content and so on. You know what I am talking about, right? More so, if we all worked on the same brand or product promotion. And if I thought the other bloggers got more attention or mileage out of the activity, it would tick me off. Instead of putting the brand at the forefront and remembering that we all had collectively helped push an idea, I would only think about me. Yeah, how stupid is that right? Well, we live and learn.
   

3. You complain almost all the time and also pick up arguments
   This is my favourite (not sure if I can call it that) of all signs. And that is because this one, more than all other signs, drives away people from you. You know as a blogger you would perhaps complain that brands do not pay you enough to promote, payments for projects never happen on time, how brands do not put you on a higher level because of your quality of work, etc. Then you end up picking up arguments with project owners and raise a hue and cry every single time. Point is, we all as freelancers are aware that payments seldom happen on time. So if you can’t manage your expenses and cannot project payment arrival upper limits, is this not really a fault of yours? How is it the brands fault that you are broke?
4. You are defensive most of the time
   The holier-than-thou behaviour. Because you know, you can never be wrong. It is either the photographers fault or the brands or the weather for that matter. The clothes are ill fitting because they were made that way and not because you have a varying weight brought on by poor self management. Because you over estimated how slim you were. The post did not get enough views because the brand did not cross promote it.
5. You make it a point to tell people you are bloody amazing
   Because of course, your content is out of the world. The way you style outfits is second to none. The imagery from your photographer is miles ahead of what other bloggers put out. Yeah, you really are amazing aren’t you? But, are you really? If you are, it should only be because you better yourself every single time. Not because you benchmark yourself with someone else. How much have you progressed as an individual?
6. You expect special treatment
   I am not a social person. I seldom venture out and if I do it is only because I feel the need to get some fresh air. I can seldom handle social interactions. But whenever I head out, to say a Fashion Week or a Brand event, I expect special treatment. You know, I am an influencer and should be treated with respect and get all the good things that come with it. Not to forget, free drinks. Which is stupid. If anything at all, you should only expect to be treated the same as anyone else. Nothing makes you special. Not unless this is the Matrix and you are Neo. Even Neo had humility, so what right have you?
7. You get jealous of the attention other bloggers get
   And then there is the whole point of why do a bunch of bloggers have so many followers and I don’t seem to have nearly as many. Which results in judging them on how they amassed this fan following. You argue that their followers are fake. You argue that they bought their followers from an agency that specialises in bots and offers followers depending on the package you choose. Perhaps you feel it is the show of skin that is getting them attention? Or like in my case, their fit bodies!
8. You insist on working with your predetermined terms
   This is another one I am guilty of. I have turned down several projects because I refuse to negotiate on my terms. I don’t regret most of those assignments being lost to another blogger. But my pride is so big, that I often forget that because of my lack of flexibility I may not get other assignments from that PR company. While it is alright to turn down work from brands that demand too much or because you do not relate to what they stand for, it isn’t alright to ignore their ideologies. Like if they only want certain hashtags in the social media posts or do not want other brands featured along with theirs. It is only a fair ask and you need to respect that.
9. Thinking you know that there are no more than 8 signs that your ego is too huge!

Bet you didn’t see the last one coming. Ha.

I am pretty sure there are more signs which I must have missed out on. Let me know what those are, in the comments. And also, if you disagree with any of these points please do let me know your thoughts on why it could be incorrect.

And until next time, easy tiger.

Shot by Vishal Dey for Bowties and Bones

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