Start before you are ready
Have you ever stopped yourself from doing something because you didn't feel "ready"?
This mindset can really hold you back. Let me explain how.
I started my YouTube channel 12(!) years ago, in 2012.
It took a couple of years before I uploaded my first video (and even longer before I uploaded my first tutorial).
In fact, my first tutorial wasn't even on my current channel.
It was on another one called "DaVector Design", where I focused on Photoshop and Illustrator. But I only uploaded 3 videos.
Anyways...
Two years later, in 2017, I uploaded the first video editing tutorial to my main channel. It was a 2-minute tutorial about Final Cut Pro called "How to create a project".
That tutorial was just a basic screenrecording and it was done in less than an hour.
No external microphone.
No background music.
No sound effects.
No graphics.
No editing.
Now, 7 years later, that video has 502 views.
But here's the interesting part - my second video was even simpler.
It was a 47-second video titled "How to use skimming in FCP".
That video has over 10 000 views now.
The reason I'm sharing this is because this is how my channel began.
I spent five years trying to figure out what kind of content I wanted to create. Then, I stopped procrastinating and just started creating.
My strategy was simple:
1️⃣ Learn something
2️⃣ Do a screenrecording where I talk about it
3️⃣ Upload the screenrecording to YouTube
I focused on establishing a habit rather than making perfect videos.
As a result of this habit, my videos got better and better over time.
Now I have 443 videos online on my channel (a majority of them are 1-2 minute tutorials) and it has generated 5,5 million views.
But none of that would've happened if I hadn't started simple.
If I'd waited until I could meet the production quality I wanted, I'd still be waiting - 12 years later.
A few days ago, I saw a quote on LinkedIn that perfectly captures this point:
"The longer you stay on the wrong train, the more expensive it is to get home."
Every action you take is a vote for the life you want in the future.
Not taking action is like staying on the wrong train.
If you want to master something, you need to put in the time (some people say 10 000 hours.)
That's 2 hours per day, every day, for almost 14 years.
Every day you wait to start is just pushing the goal line further away.
Why should you start a YouTube channel before you are ready?
If you don't feel like an expert or you don't feel like your videos are good enough, ask yourself this:
"Would my YouTube videos be the worst videos in the world?"
If the answer is no, then you already have a reason to upload them.
Why? Because if there are worse videos out there, it means there are people who know less than you - and those people would find your videos valuable.
And if some people already find your videos valuable, that audience will only grow as you continue to improve. Over time, you’ll attract more skilled viewers while the less experienced ones will stick around to grow with you.
If you instead would focus on creating high-quality videos exclusively for experts, those videos might not be relevant for beginners and therefor limit your audience. (By definition, experts are a minority compared to beginners.)
You're also setting the bar higher for yourself by only allowing yourself to create videos at that production quality (or higher) after that. Because if you don't, you risk losing viewers.
It's way easier to start simple and slowly take steps to improve rather than setting the ambition too high from the beginning. It also gives you more data to analyze (with a higher number of uploads), more ways for people to find your channel (by having more videos), and it will probably be more inspiring to follow the process of you getting better rather than only sharing content from the finish line of your journey.
So, if you've ever stopped yourself from starting because you didn't feel ready, ask yourself these questions:
How did you learn to walk?
How did you learn to ride a bike?
How did you learn to drive a car?
Could you have learned any of those things just by reading about them?
Or did you have to actually practise as well?
YouTube is no different.
The sooner you start, the sooner you'll reach your first 100 videos - and THAT'S when you'll really start learning YouTube.
Not by thinking about it or reading about, but by doing it.
Now, let's look at another example:
Earlier this year, I started building my dream desk setup.
I didn't have all the things I wanted, but I started anyways.
Brick by brick, I shaped the setup the way I wanted and it is slowly getting better and better.
Now, 11 months later, I'm nowhere near finished, but the foundation is in place. I have the desk, the carpet, the external screen, the LED light, and the microphone.
I still want to upgrade the microphone, put sound panels on the wall, and get an adjustable arm for the screen, but for now, I have to settle for what I have.
By starting with this setup, I get to use it and discover its strengths and weaknesses while waiting for future improvements. I wouldn’t have discovered the "pros and cons" if I had waited to gather every item I wanted before starting the setup.
And I wouldn't be able to share the process of me building it if I would still be waiting for ALL the pieces I needed to complete it first.
The joy is in the process and the inspiration comes from the journey.
As long as you keep moving forward, you'll inspire others while also building your confidence.
Confidence doesn't come from knowledge, it comes from proving to yourself that you are the person you say you are.
So show up, put in the work, and take the next step, regardless of the outcome. Just don't sit back, blame your circumstances, and expect life to be easy.
Life shouldn't be easy. You should be better.
And you are not getting better unless you take action.
I hope you liked this blog post!
I've started a video serie about my current desk setup. Follow me here: Instagram.com/davidlindgren89
PS. Part 2 of my "Desk Setup Upgrade" will be published on my Instagram account later this week. You can follow me by clicking on the link above. ☝️
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