If you are a YouTube creator and you feel like giving up on your channel, or on almost anything else in life, because it is just really hard, and you’re not seeing the results that you want. Well, today I want to give you guys some ideas of how to push through the dip, so you actually meet the dreams and the goals that you have, for the content that you’re having in your life, in general.
Now it was like a few weeks ago, I talked about one of my biggest mistakes I made here on YouTube. And that was, not understanding the path and the journey that you guys often take as creators. I assumed that your path often started, it was like a straight, upward line over time, where you started and it was awesome. But, I was very wrong, right? And I talked more about why I made that mistake, and everything, the implications it has here for this channel.
I want to help you guys think through how you can push through this dip that we talked about in that previous video, which I’ll link up around here, below. Definitely go check it out, because it is the context for what we’re going to talk about here today.
So this is kind of the emotional path that I feel like a lot of creators– and this isn’t have to do just with YouTube context here that we’re using as YouTube, but it applies to almost anything. It is on the feel bad, feel OK, feel great spectrum. You start off on this project, in this case, YouTube channel, you’re excited. You get to this honeymoon period, and over the course of time, then it starts dipping a little bit. It starts to feel uncertain. Then you start losing confidence. You start feeling a state of confusion about, what am I doing here? And then depression of like, this was supposed to happen. It’s supposed to work, because I see so many other creators, they make it look so easy. You know?
And then, you get down here, and you’re like, I just quit. And this, unfortunately, is where most creators stop. All right? Like, here. And so, what happens here, my channel, you guys stop watching Video Creators. You stop investing into your channel, different things like that. Because the goals and the dream you had for it don’t seem attainable.
But let’s talk about what happens if you keep pushing through that. And we’re going to talk about some practical ways to do this. But if you keep pushing up, you have this accepting stage, where you start to become accepting of like, OK this is hard. This is difficult. But I’m not going to let it stop me. And so you start exploring new ways, new ideas of how you can, maybe, improve and grow, and acquire the skills that you need, you know, things like that.
And then you start testing the new things that you’re exploring. You’re like, oh, I’m learning some things now. Like, this is why this happened. I get it. You know? And then you start having this, right here, new confidence, in your channel, and your work, and the projects you’re working on. And then you can really start taking off.
So this is the journey I want to help you guys take, here on this channel, at Video Creators. Now, I don’t want to help you take this part, actually. But just knowing that that’s normal, I want to see, how can I help you guys start going that direction little bit more. OK?
So I’m going to give you guys six, quick ideas. And to give credit where credit is due, I learned it– this isn’t original from me. There’s a link in the description below that goes to an article on THENEXTWEB.com. You’ll learn a lot more about this type of stuff over there. I’m just summarizing it for you here.
So number one– and I did say this in my other video that I did, the live Hangout On Air with you guys. Like, right after we talked about the dip, because so many of you guys were like, yes, that’s me. Which was a great Hangout On Air. Pop a run here, go check it out. Definitely, like, check it out. Totally. I say that, because a lot of you just skip over that type of stuff. But I am telling you, it’s worth your time to go watch.
Have a Bigger Purpose
Number one, have a bigger purpose. And this is a main thing. Like, this is so key. Like you can forget all the other ones, like that is the biggest thing. Because a lot of people, a lot of creators, they start YouTube, their goal is actually, like, popularity. Or, hey, I heard I can make money on YouTube. Like, is this a really easy place to make money, like I’ve heard? So that’s their goal. And then they soon start to learn like, oh, if this is how much work I need to put into making money on YouTube, there’s probably other places I can go to make money a little bit easier. And a lot of times it’s true. You can.
But if your goal is to, like, hey, I have a message and I know this can change people’s lives, and I really need to get this out there, because those people need to hear what I have. That’s your purpose. Like, this is different. The key word here is purpose, not goals. You can have your goals, but you need to have a vision for what you really want to accomplish, and the difference you want to see it make in people’s lives. And I think that when you have that, you push through here, because it’s not just about you. It’s actually about what you’re going to contribute to the world and the difference you’re going to make. So I love having that conversation about purpose, and vision, and direction, and everything. That’s one of the main things to get excited about, actually, here on YouTube. But you do need to have a bigger purpose.
Surround Yourself With Creators Who Have Done It
Number two, so you need to surround yourself with those who have done it. And so one of the things I have, without even intentionally orienting it towards here, although it fits perfectly, is this Video Labs course that I have, which is closed right now, but there’s a link in the description below. You can, if you want to learn more about it when it opens up next year again. But that is like a small group of creators. I limit it to a small group on purpose, just so we can all go through this process together, get to know each other’s channels. What roadblocks are each of us bumping into? What weaknesses do we have? What are we really good at? And how can we work together to all grow? And when you surround yourself with people who have done it, it’s energizing. It’s motivating. And it’s inspiring. And it helps you really keep your eye on what’s important, while also giving you the training and the tasks that you need in order to climb, to get to that new confidence.
So if you don’t have this, I highly recommend that you surround yourself with those who have done it. I, personally, in business, I know YouTube, but the business side of everything is something I’m learning on. So I meet every Tuesday. I just reached out to some people who know business, and I said, hey, can we meet together every Tuesday, as a mastermind group, and just work together on growing each other’s businesses and learning from each other, and things. Definitely do that.
Discover A Growth Mindset
Number three, discover a growth mindset. What this means, it isn’t just like, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. This is actually, how do you view the roadblocks that you bump into? Are those discouraging to you, or do you see those as challenges? Things to conquer. Things to learn. What about the opposition that you sometimes maybe feel from other people, or from YouTube in general, or from your audience, or whatever. Is that something that inspires you to learn how to do better? Or is something like, ah, I tried and it didn’t work.
So the mindset, here, that so important. Is the heavy lifting, is that just there to frustrate you, and to make you feel like, I can’t do this, and to make you tired? Or is that there to make you stronger, and help you to be able to go further, and faster, later. So that mindset is really key.
Schedule It
Number four is, schedule it. And this is like, things that are worth doing in life usually take time and attention, and they rarely just kind of happen on their own, right? And so, find times in your schedule where you’re going to mark it on your calendar, and you’re going to make it a priority. And the best way to do this is actually to find time that you already have, rather than trying to eliminate, like, grocery shopping or hanging out with friends, or whatever the case may be. Find time you already have, and schedule in there. And make sure you have plenty of time to accomplish the tasks that you need to do, in order for you to reach the purpose of why you’re doing this on YouTube in the first place.
Teach It to Others
Five is, teach this to others. This is kind of a benefit for me, because this is my full-time job, and has been for several years. But for you, if you have like– maybe you have 100 subscribers, but you know someone, you’re a beauty blogger, and you know someone, another beauty blogger who’s getting started, who has five. Come along that person who has five, and then teach them. And find ways that you can serve each other that way.
Reward Yourself When You Reach Goals
And then number six is, put stakes. Put something in the ground, like, if I don’t meet this goal, by this time, or make this happen, or accomplish that by this time, I am going to give X amount of dollars to charity. Something like that. Or, if I do make it, I’m going to go take myself out to that restaurant. I don’t know, you guys get the idea. Have rewards and stuff built in for yourself. Small ones along the way, and then big ones for the major milestones, also.
I would love to hear from you guys, really, not just for me, but for everyone else here in this community. In the comments below, what other tips and suggestions do you have for pushing through that dip to really get to the goals and the purpose that you have for your channel here on YouTube? I’m really looking forward to hearing from you guys, and trying to come up with some ideas of other things I can do to help you through that.