Hey Team,
As I’m write this, I’m about 5 minutes past the moment that I hit “post” on a message/video sharing my new venture with all ~3,000 contacts of mine on LinkedIn. That’s 3,000 people that include former bosses and colleagues. People I’ve hired, people I’ve sold to. My family, my old and new friends. Basically, everyone I’ve ever interacted with in some professional setting…
And what did I tell them? That I made a YouTube channel…
I really probably need a better way of describing what I’m trying to do, but I think I deflect a little, with some self-deprecating humour, because the idea that I’m going to leave something secure and stable to “just talk” sounds a little crazy. It’s not crazy of course. I’m creating a brand, I’m learning how to deliver the best possible advice and knowledge, and how to package it in a way that can be found in noisy environments like YouTube, Udemy, Skillshare and more. I know, I truly know, that if I stick with it, if I learn what works and what doesn’t, that this will lead to something remarkable. I don’t know what that will look like just yet, but it’s all positive. It just sounds ‘weird’ to say “I’m starting a YouTube channel” when you’re over 20-years-old.
But it was extremely important for me to make that post. Not because I think that everyone is going to rush to subscribe. (Even if they all did, it would barely make a dent). Not because I believe my post is going to go viral and create some new opportunity for me.
For me, it was important because:
- When you make something public, when you say it out loud, it starts becoming real
- When things are “real”, and specifically for me, when I say I’m going to do something, I’m motivated to actually make it happen. I’m competitive in that way.
- The idea of telling everyone what I was going to try to do next was weighing me down. Now that it’s done, like ripping off a bandaid, I can move on and just do the work I need to do.
It’s funny how that works. Even though many of these people aren’t the people who will ultimately care about the work I create, telling them (or them finding out) was a mental blocker.
Thankfully, I’m very aware of what motivates and blocks me. So, I gave myself one month to get going, and now that it’s passed, it’s time to make this visible.
I have absolutely no idea where I’ll end up, but I know that if I keep working, keep creating and, keep showing my work – I’ll keep improving, I’ll find an audience and I’ll find some version of success. That’s just how it works.
-Art