Hi friends,
An exciting update to start with...my YouTube channel is live! đ„łđ„łđ„ł
As Claire and I were getting ready to publish, a bit of panic started creeping in. We were worried these first videos werenât âgood enoughâ and afraid of what people would think.
Now I know my fear of publishing two videos to my small audience is irrational. Thereâs nothing actually to worry about, but still, the self-doubt and fear were there.
I think itâs partially due to the fact that we live in a world where we can access the âbest ofâ in any field, at any time, at the click of a button.
Itâs inspiring to see all of this creativity, but itâs also never-racking. Thereâs so much good work out there, it can feel daunting to start.
So with that on my mind, I wanted to reflect this week on the importance of Celebrating Progress.
Letâs jump to it.
P.S. Final reminder that the Intro to Make Time workshop is coming up next Tuesday. The first 30 slots went quickly so Iâve added five more.
Celebrating Progress
About a month ago, with no prior experience filming, editing, or creating video content, Claire and I sat down on our living room sofa with an iPhone, an inexpensive microphone, and a basic plan for how we could make a video for YouTube.
Even though we didnât know what we were doing, we thought it would be fun and weâd learn something in the process.
Around two hours of filming later, I finally was able to string a few coherent sentences together and we called it a wrap on a short âWelcomeâ video for my channel.
Claire then got to work editing, using the free version of iMovie to put a clip together. After a few hours of experimentation, she showed me the final product. We were both thrilled to have made something.
Since that first video, weâve spent 2-3 hours every Friday filming, and Claire has put approximately 8-10 hours into each new video, learning as she goes via Ali Abdaalâs Skillshare class.Â
Weâve upgraded to Final Cut Pro, Iâve figured out how to sound less like a robot, and our videos have some of the cool imagery, soundtrack, and effects that youâve come to expect from good YouTubers.
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Fast forward to this week.Â
We were now ready to publish the first two videos, but as we re-watched them a final time, both of us felt the fear trickling in.
Videos #3-5 are so much better than #1-2.Â
We started asking ourselves, âShould we even publish these first two?â
I was â slash am â afraid of what people will think of me. Are they going to watch these first videos, be disappointed or underwhelmed, and never watch another one again? Is this a bad way to âlaunchâ a new thing?
Claire was â slash is â afraid of what people will think of her work. After 4 weeks of constant learning and iteration, she now knows the fundamentals of a good video. Looking at the first two, she can see every issue with the audio, the pacing, the transitions, etc.Â
So we found ourselves having this debate:
Should we start the channel by posting video #3 and re-doing the first two to publish later?Â
Or should we just go for it, post these videos despite our worries, and keep improving as we move forward?
As we talked more about it, we started to realize we were in the same place that many of us get trapped.Â
The negativity bias kicks in and we let the worry take over.
We look at other people in our lives or on social media who are so far along in their journey, and we think our work doesnât stack up.
But then we started to rememberâŠ
Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle. â Tim Hiller
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step. â Lao Tzu.Â
Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect. â Alan Cohen
Yes, these platitudes might strike you as trite. But really, theyâre wisdom.Â
We took in a new perspective, reminding ourselves that every single person we admire was once a beginner.
Nobody is perfect out of the gate.
So this is us, sharing our first step of a thousand.Â
Taking a moment to Celebrate Progress, rather than chase perfection.
We hope you like these first two videos and that youâll stick around to watch the next few. We promise cooler transitions, a less awkward Connor, and some ideas worth chewing on.
Thanks for reading!
Connor & Claire
3-2-1 Action!
Welcome!
Go First â How to Create More Connection, Serendipity, and Positivity Every Day
Words of Wisdom
"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the gameâ
â Babe Ruth