I know what it feels like to feel so far away from your goals that it sends you to a sombre melancholy place.
I know that it feels like you should just quit and find another opportunity that might work faster or easier.
I’m telling you here – don’t do that.
This is what you need to read to finish what you’ve started.
Three years ago I started on a journey to grow our YouTube channel.
I had hired experts, consultants, agencies, gurus, coaches and I had invested in courses, programs and software.
And it resulted in lower views each and every month.
It was like going to the gym and getting fatter every single day.
I was beginning to lose the will to continue.
My wife Olivia will tell you how many nights I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, asking myself “What am I doing wrong?”
When the goal is in the distance, but you can at least see the steps you need to take, that’s one thing.
I remember feeling overwhelmed, but focused, on my world record 5km walking lunge attempt.
“Just one lunge at a time. I can do this. Ignore the time. Just one more step.”
The horror comes when you don’t know what the steps are.
You know the goal, but you can’t figure out the process.
That is why, I believe, most people quit.
And the horrible part is, when you’re on the journey, you can only see all the progress you’re not making.
My goal was to get a video that did 1000 views in a week.
It seemed bananas.
I had videos that had 10,000’s of views – but over months and years.
I wanted a “viral” hit.
Something that resonated with my audience and did well.
I tried to get 1000 views on a video in a week for three years.
Some people take 3 videos.
Some people do it on their first try.
I tried EVERY trick in the book – I won’t list them all, but some of them were
- going super broad
- going super niche
- writing scripts
- not writing scripts
- heavy editing
- no editing
- complex thumbnails
- no thumbnails
- copy what works on competitors
- copy what works on non-competitors
- post to my email list
- don’t post to me email list
- etc.
I was going round and round in circles.
Until one day I had a conversation with a friend of mine, Mark.
I’ve talked about Mark before.
He and I have had weekly calls for YEARS.
He didn’t have advice or the actual secret. He just asked me “What kinds of videos do you want to make?”
And it was like a wave of relief.
No one had ever asked me what I wanted to make.
I thought back to when I would have fun creating videos.
There was a time when I didn’t care about the metrics or views.
I just liked creating videos.
So I made that.
And wouldn’t you know it…
It did 4500 views in a week.
You have to understand that for ME and MY channel, that’s HUGE.
I taught using a whiteboard and walking through a process I have.
I was myself. I was relaxed.
I was having fun and I was interested in the topic.
Is that the key?
Was that the difference?
Sometimes we’re so in the weeds that we can’t see what’s in front of us.
Rather than comparing myself to others, I started focusing on what I wanted.
And it worked.
Will it work every time?
Yes. Joking.
Of course not.
But the overlap of interest, fun, relaxed and authentic made better content.
People were more engaged.
It was easier.
Maybe that’s what I was after all along.
Something to think about.
