Here are some things I’ve learned since quitting my job about three years ago and
becoming a full-time YouTuber. I went from being someone with little self-belief who’d
often question her purpose and who felt quite depressed at times, to someone who has built
a life they are happy to wake up to. And while I don’t have all the answers, here’s what
I’d tell you if you’re looking to change the direction of your life in some way. There’s
obviously so much more to cover on this topic, so let me know if you’d like a part two.
Everything starts with believing in yourself
Have you ever heard anything more cliché? Well, be prepared for more.
I used to categorize people into one of the two: those who were ordinary like me who were
meant to follow the curriculum of life; school - college - 9-5 - retirement - death.
And then there were those who did cool things. They had something us ordinaries didn’t.
They were the actors, entrepreneurs, musicians, artists. They and or their work was to be
watched and admired from afar.
Sort of like how Britney sang “There's only two types of people in the world. The ones
that entertain and the ones that observe”.
It’s only when I started truly believing that I too could do anything and be anything
I wanted, that life started to change, and I now live by the motto that everything is
possible. That if there’s a will there’s a way. That believing that you can means you’re
halfway there and all of that.
So, if you take anything from this video, let it be this: how can I too start believing
that I am capable of being and doing anything that I want in this life?
Here’s one of the things that did it for me:
Change of environment “When you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change.” — Max Planck, German quantum theorist and Nobel
Prize winner.
You know how you sometimes have those moments that flip a switch in your mind? I’d like
to share one of those moments of mine:
So I was at an event a few years ago, this was before I started with YouTube. It was
quite random, I knew a couple people who were attending, I initially didn’t want to go
but I decided to go anyway.
At this event, I did quite a bit of socializing. I know, right? Anyway, I was introduced to
a lot of people and so you have the normal small-talky conversation of “so what do
you do for work?”. And every single person I had a conversation with that night had their
own thing going on.
One owned a small jewelry company, one was a producer, one had a podcast, another had
their own coffee shop, one had a tech-startup. It was like a new world for me.
I was used to being around people who didn’t like their job and spent all day complaining
about it while doing nothing to change their situation. I, too, was one of those people.
I remember calling my mom the day after and telling her about this event and how it had
made me think “if all of those people can go their own way and talk about their job
with such joy and enthusiasm, why do I need to settle for less?”
They were people who saw possibilities, rather than limitations. And from that day on, so
did I.
Now, you obviously can’t go to that same event. But you can say yes more. You can be
more curious. You can decide to distance yourself from nay-sayers. You can start over. You CAN,
period.
Better sorry than safe (just figure out how “sorry” is too sorry for you to bear)
Umm what Lana? That’s backwards, that’s not how you say it.
I know, but here’s what I mean.
I’ll go back to my own example: when I considered quitting my job a few years ago to pursue
YouTube full-time, I had two options: stay and be safe e.g. have a secure source of income
and whatnot, or, leave and be uncertain and regret doing it to begin with.
So, I asked myself, how sorry is too sorry for me to bear?
If I leave and YouTube doesn’t work out, how bad is that? The answer was: well, it
may sting, but I can always just get another job.
Another example, when I’ve taken a leap of faith and sent a risky text or email, worst
case scenario would be getting ignored. I’ve had to ask: would that be too much to bear?
I asked, would I rather be sorry, or would I rather just not send that text and be safe?
The point here is to figure this out for yourself and ask: How sorry are you willing to be for
it to be worth not staying safe?
One thing that I’ve spend over a year going now is building my clothing brand Ro. There’s
a risk it’s not going to pay off; perhaps all the time and effort I’ve invested may
not generate the results I’m hoping for. But I’ve decided that, even in that case,
the sorry will be worth it, especially since I’ve been having a ton of fun planning and
building it all, and I’ve found a super fun software to do it all in. Take a look.
It won't just “happen” “If it is to be, it is up to me,” wrote
William H. Johnsen
I spent a big portion of my life waiting for life to figure itself out. I’d tell myself
that some day I’d make something out of myself. Some day I’d get
to do something I love. Some day it’d all be okay.
What I’ve discovered is that some day isn’t a day that is coming, it’s the day you decide
it is. It was the day I decided to film my first YouTube video. It was the day I decided
I was going to start planning for my first apartment. It was the day I decided I was
going to finally get a dog.
So you just have to ask yourself, when are you deciding that some day is going to be?
And put it in your calendar. Literally, write “this is some day: I will put out my first
cover on YouTube”, or “this is some day: I will get my pilates membership” or “I
will ask that person to go out with me” or whatever it is.
Don’t take pride in being a lone wolf
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” - Michael Jordan.
In my opinion, there’s nothing particularly cool about having accomplished something completely
on your own, just like there’s nothing shameful about having gotten help.
Asking for advice is cool. Asking for feedback is cool. Taking a risk and reaching out to
people is cool.
Seeing someone who’s done what you aspire to do and being like “Hey, so I know that
you are doing xyz, and I’ve thought about doing it myself, what advice would you have
for someone just starting out?” THAT is cool.
Make peace with the cringe
Nothing is cringe unless you decide that it is. I’ll just leave it at that.
Don’t underestimate tiny achievements
Aristotle said: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a
habit.”
When I first started doing YouTube, I’d celebrate all the tiny successes. I had to,
in order to keep going.
I charged my camera? Yes! That meant I was preparing to go out and film some footage.
Filmed some footage? Awesome! That meant I could start editing a video. Uploaded a video
and got two upvotes? Wow!
It’s better to set the bar low but to do something tiny every day and to recognize
and celebrate what you’re doing; than to set the bar too high.
It’s all about maintaining momentum. To keep swimming. Small strokes beats drowning.
Set goals that sound absolutely ridiculous
While I celebrate tiny achievements, I always aim beyond that I think I’m even capable
of. I’m not modest with my goals. I don’t care if it sounds ridiculous. I’m not bothered
by someone giving me the side eye when I tell them about it.
A few years ago, reaching 1 million subscribers sounded outrageous. Yet, here we are. We did
it together.
And if someone’s like, “who the hell do you think you are?” you say “someone you’ll
never be if you keep that attitude up”. *laugh*. I’m kidding. Don’t say that.