Name: How to find motivation & get started
Uploaded: 2025-01-20T16:19:15.000Z
Duration: 22 min 47 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Gerund

I asked you all recently on Instagram if you had any questions about being a YouTuber or a content creator or influencer. Today, I'll be answering some of the most reoccurring questions.

Future simple

It's going to be a bit of a rambly video. I don't typically make these types of videos, but hopefully you'll like it. My goal is to just pack it with as much value as possible.

Past simple

Any advice on overcoming the fear of starting? This is definitely the most reoccurring question that I get, and I definitely understand why. When I started out myself, I had so many fears.

I was scared that I was going to invest time in something that wasn't going to work out.

I was scared that my videos were going to be just not good and I wasn't going to get any subscribers or no one was really going to care about what I had to say or what I put out there.

It's really interesting to look at where your fears might stem from. Personally, having this fear of being made fun of or laughed at comes from my childhood. It comes from being laughed at in school and being the outsider sometimes. I knew that I had a lot of mind ghosts and figuring out where they came from, identifying that, was quite helpful in making peace with the fact that it was going to be scary, but at least I knew kind of why.

Another fear is, obviously, if the sacrifice is going to be worth it. There's a fine line between being scared because something is actually not good for you and being scared because you're having mind ghosts about something, and figuring out which one it is for you is a good idea. As an example, you probably should feel scared if you're about to quit your job to pursue becoming a YouTuber if you don't have a solid backup plan. I had a solid backup plan when

I quit my job, I knew that in case YouTube was to not work out, I had somewhere to go,

I had still a roof over my head and I was going to be okay. It's really important to figure out the worst-case scenario and how you would handle that worst-case scenario and then decide for yourself what the chances of that worst-case scenario is for happening and if it were to happen, what are your chances of actually figuring it out? Every chance that I get,

I practice making peace with the fact that fear is not out to get me. Fear is there for a reason, it's hardwired in me as a human being, it's there to protect me. I like to think of it as my dog, actually, or any dog. If you have a dog, you know that many dogs tend to bark if someone is passing by your door, and in 99.9% of the time, the people passing aren't out to get you or rob you, but your dog is still warning you about them, in case there were to be something that you should be aware of.

And I like to view my fear alarms the same way. They're there to tell me that, hey, this may be a potential danger, but it's up to you to decide if it is or not. I'm just saying.

So, that's, I think, a learning curve where you get to know if something is actually a danger, or if it's not. And honestly, it's just not worth not pursuing the things you want to pursue because you're scared. What are you scared of, if you really think about it? And how detrimental is it if that fear was to actually come true? Let's say that you very much fear someone leaving a hate comment, or someone at school or in your family laughing at you.

So what? You're the one who's going to live your life, and do you really want to look back thinking that you did not do something that you really wanted to do because you were scared of something that, in the grand scheme of things, isn't really that bad and doesn't really actually matter? I'm telling you, getting over those fears and starting this channel and being consistent at it for three, four-ish years now is one of the best things I've ever done. So,

I don't want anyone to waste their potential and to be held back by these mind ghosts.

So, you got it. I also find that the more that the unknown becomes known, the more fear decreases.

Let's take a couple weeks ago when I went skiing, and I hadn't skied in 15 years. So, the first time I stood up on those skis, going down the slope, I was terrified. I texted my sister and told her, I don't want to do this, it's super scary. And then, by the last day, it was so much fun, because I had practiced and the unknown had become known. I'd already fallen a few times, I'd went up and down that slope so many times that I knew what to expect, and I knew that this is not that bad and I can manage it. And we can manage and handle so much more than we give ourselves credit for. So, you just need to allow yourself to prove that to yourself.

How do you make your videos recognizable?

This is something that you also find as you go. Eventually, people are going to recognize the type of light, the angles, and the music. Let's talk a bit more about that.

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What is the secret to growing your channel, and if consistency, how do I endure it?

I think it's very hard answering the question, why is someone's channel actually successful?

Because there's such a variety of channels that have reached tremendous success, and sure, you can point at things like, they have amazing storytelling skills, or they're an amazing filmmaker, or they're very relatable, they're funny, it's just very hard.

Consistency is just not negotiable, I think. And I notice even for myself that when I post more videos, I get more views and I get more subscribers. And then I think, just analyzing your own videos and looking back at them every time, and think to yourself, what did I like about this video, what did I not like, and what part of this could've been cut out, what part of this could've changed. You know, when I look back on videos from two months ago, six months ago, there are always things that I can see in hindsight that I didn't see then.

And that, I think, is a sign of growth, because the more you do something, the better you become at it, and the more confident you become. So, being consistent, making sure that you are improving something each time, it can be something tiny, like the lighting, or the angle, or the way that you built your story, obviously depending on what types of videos you're making.

And not being sensitive to criticism. I appreciate it so much when some of you leave comments saying things like, I didn't like the audio in this video, or I think the music was a bit too loud, or I think it was quite boring when this scene was too long, and also being your own critic. And if you can't sit through a video that you've made, it's probably not a great video. I know this, if I'm sitting down editing a video and I'm getting bored, that's not a very good sign. There's also a bit of luck, and a bit of skill, and a bit of research, and improving. How do you start? And oh boy, is this a reoccurring question.

I remember wondering this as well when I was starting out, and if I try to recall what exactly

I meant when I thought, how do I start, I think personally, I just thought about the fear of starting. It wasn't so much about what camera I need, as much as it was about how do I get myself to actually go from this point to this point. And if I try to remember it quite roughly,

I know that the first thing was simply deciding that, okay, I'm at this job that I don't like,

I'm not feeling fulfilled, my entire body is itching, I want to create, I want to do something else, I just wasn't happy, I wasn't feeling like I was supposed to be there. And so, I decided, okay, I want to become a YouTuber, I'm gonna start uploading on my channel, and I'm gonna give this a shot. So, that was the first thing. The first thing was mainly just deciding that this is what I want to do. And the second thing that I did was, I did a ton of research about everything YouTube related. Like, how do I know what setup is the best? Mics, cameras, and all of that. How do I write a script? How do I formulate a script? How do I speak to the camera?

That was one thing, because I remember pretty much every article that I read or YouTube video that I watched on how to speak to the camera said that you should speak louder, and you should be more outgoing, and you really need to engage the audience. And I did that in the beginning,

I was speaking a lot louder than I typically do, I'm not a very loud person, naturally.

And looking back on those videos, I don't typically cringe at my past self, and I try to be forgiving of her, but I look back and I know that it's not me, it's a way to try to engage, and that's fine. That's what we do, we figure ourselves out along the way.

You need to also realize that what you're learning about YouTube and what other people are telling you through articles and videos is good to use as a piece of information, but it's not necessarily a guide. So, even something like what camera equipment is the best camera equipment to get for YouTube video. There are people who film with their iPhones and blow up all the time, who have pretty crappy audio, they don't edit, they barely make any cuts, things are cutting off in random places, the music is way too loud, and yet their channels are tremendously successful. So, there aren't any tools that are bulletproof, there are no guarantees that just because you follow the steps of this creator, you will also succeed. That's not how it works. So, take everything you read and everything I say and other people say with a grain of salt, and trust that you're going to figure things out as you go. That's how you learn.

That's the only formula that I've come to realize, is that the best way of becoming good at something is to simply do that thing over and over and over and over again. It's not to read about it, it's not to listen to a podcast about it, although those things can be very valuable as well. But, how you actually get from point A to B is by start walking from point A to B.

What did you want to know before you started? I remember when I was at maybe a thousand subscribers, and I started thinking to myself that this was very hard. I had a vision of growing to ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, but it felt so far away. And then I remember watching Casey Neistat's video titled ten million, and the video was about him reaching ten million subscribers. In that video, he talks about how reaching ten million subscribers was easier than reaching one million. Reaching one million was easier than reaching a hundred thousand. Reaching a hundred thousand was easier than reaching ten thousand. And reaching…

Oh, I think he stopped there, actually. And I still remember quite vividly how motivating that was for me to hear. And being at over a million at this point, I totally agree with his assessment.

So, find something to motivate you. You might need it. It's quite difficult in the beginning.

Do you actually have more free time compared to a 9-5 job?

Love that question. My first instinct is to say no, absolutely not. In one way, it's true. It's very hard to not think about YouTube, or what video I'm going to create, and should I do this and that, and how should I respond to this thing, and it's kind of always on my mind.

I've never really, before starting YouTube, I've never really had something that was so vivid in my mind at pretty much all times. Even when I'm doing something that's not YouTube related, I'll see something and think, hmm, that would make an interesting video. Or, ooh, maybe I should try editing something like that, or listen to a piece of music and think, wow, when I'm listening to this piece of music, I'm imagining how I could film something and talk about this thing. So, it's like, so much of life starts to remind you of how you can create the next video, and what you can do, and how you can become better. So, even when you're free, you're not exactly free. That's one thing. I mean, I don't have weekends off, or I don't clock out at 5 or anything like that. I'll work at 10pm, I'll work on Saturdays and Sundays.

So, in that way, no, there's definitely not more freedom. However, starting this channel and doing it full time, I've been thinking sometimes that, wow, people who work 9-5s, they have no idea what it's like being fully consumed by something like this, where it's your own business and your own boss, and there's so much discipline that's required, and you're never really clocking off, and your brain is constantly thinking about your job, because it becomes a job after a while.

But then, I've been thinking, if it's that much work, or if it's that difficult or consuming doing this, wouldn't I just be happy going back to a 9-5? And then I thought, no, absolutely not,

I wouldn't trade this for the world. I've really reconsidered my way of viewing this as being more difficult in any way than any other 9-5 job. I've had plenty of 9-5 jobs, I've worked at cafes,

I've worked as a nanny, I've been in finance, I've been in marketing, so I've been there.

And even if I'm not free in the same way, because my mind is always on YouTube, I'm free in so many other ways that I never was before, in ways that I can't even compare. Really, I set my own schedule,

I can really do whatever I want when I want. I can go and take a gym class now, or I can go and walk my dog, or I can decide that I want to go to Paris for two nights, or I can just decide that

I'm not going to work this week, I'm going to take a week off. And having that freedom is incomparable to anything else. At my last job, I remember, I wanted to go to LA for a week or something, and it was very much a hassle of going back and forth with my boss, who had to go to her boss, who had to discuss it further. And no matter how much I tried, and I was very flexible with dates and all of that, I couldn't get a week off. And that's the reality of most people, that's how it is, you can't just randomly take a week off. I'm embarrassed for ever thinking that this, in any way, is comparable or more difficult to what I was doing in the past.

Both had their challenges, that's not to discredit people who are in the content creator field either. It requires massive amounts of discipline, and you're putting yourself out there. You're opening up to the world, and you're kind of expecting people to be mean, and you're expecting people to pick you apart, whether that's the way you look, or the way you talk, or your personality. And so, I don't even remember the question. What are we even talking about? What was the question? Oh, do you actually have more free time compared to a 9-5? Yeah. So, yes and no, but honestly, mostly yes. Let's be real. The YouTuber job, in my opinion, isn't hard. If you've had other jobs, you're going to know that it's not hard. It has its challenges, but that's my personal experience and opinion. I'm going through the questions now, and they're great questions, but so many of them relate to this idea of fear. How do I start? How do I get successful? How do I know what to do and what to say? I'm trying to make this as informative and valuable to you all as possible. So, I'm really, really trying to put myself in the position that I was in three or four years ago, when I was sitting there, having all these questions, and I'm thinking, what do I wish someone told me at that point? There are so many things to be terrified of in life. I think Jordan Peterson actually, yes, I remember this now. Jordan Peterson had an interview back then that also motivated me a lot. The interviewer asked him something like, what do you tell someone who wants to quit their job or do something different, completely different with their life, but they're too scared, despite being miserable and unhappy where they are right now? Jordan Peterson said something along the lines of, staying in a place that is making you feel miserable and unfulfilled should terrify you so much more than the fear that you're feeling towards moving on to something new. Something along those lines.

He definitely phrased it a lot more eloquently than I just did. And I think, in a nutshell, that's what I want to tell you too. Sometimes I wonder what my life would've looked like if I had stayed at my last job. And just to be clear, it wasn't like a dirty, physically demanding, super tiring job at all. It was a nice job at an office. So, it doesn't have to be really bad in order for you to not feel fulfilled. I remember, at the time, I was struggling with that a bit because I felt like I should be grateful that I have this job, and there are so many people who are looking for jobs, and who aren't getting paid well, and who are really struggling, and here

I am, at this job, I'm getting paid, I'm doing okay. What am I complaining about? Why am I not feeling fulfilled? And I want to tell you that it doesn't have to be super bad in order for you to want a different situation, just like with anything in your life. You don't have to be in a super terrible relationship in order for you to want to move on and leave that person behind.

It can simply be that you're not getting your needs met, there's an itch in your body telling you that there's something else, that there's something different for you out there that you want to explore, and life is going by so quickly. And oof, this is where we're getting so cliché, but hey, clichés are cliché for a reason, right? Life is going by very quickly. It could end at any point. If any of you have had an experience with someone close to you passing and you being part of it, you get such a wake-up call of the shortness of life and how so much of what we worry about, we think about, we overthink, we complicate, we catastrophize, are very insignificant in the grand scheme of things. And that's not me telling you to invalidate your own feelings, but sometimes you need to. Sometimes you kind of need to invalidate your own feelings because they're not very rational, they're exaggerated, and they're likely not true. So, give yourself a bit of tough love. These questions about how do I start? You're never going to be fully ready, you're never going to have all the information that you need to guarantee success and guarantee that things are going to go well. No, your first few videos are probably going to be pretty bad, you're going to look back on them and cringe and laugh and feel embarrassed. That's fine, that's part of the process. There's no formula. You could watch a hundred more videos like this about how to become a YouTuber, how to start. And yes, there are definitely bits of very valuable information that you can pick from these places, but at the end of the day, none of that information is going to make you actually sit down, turn your camera on, and start recording. Only you can do that. Only you can press upload. The reason I didn't answer a bunch of questions is that I just honestly don't think that those questions are going to help you out. I think most people who are looking at these videos, especially if you're looking at like a hundred videos like this, you're just procrastinating. You're probably trying to find a reason for why you can't, for why I or someone else has advantages that you don't have. And maybe that's true. I have advantages, advantages that you don't have. You may have some that I don't have. You work with what you have. There is such a variety of creators on this platform, so no argument of well, he has that, she has that, he grew up like this, she looks like that, he has this connection. None of that is valid if you look at the fact that there's a broad range of creators where everyone is so different. So, ask yourself, are you just procrastinating?

Are you looking for a reason for why you can't? Well, I'm not going to give you that reason.