We all have arbitrary rules that we impose on ourselves. Today I overcame one of them by shooting the video above and uploading it. The video is nowhere near perfect, but that’s okay. I’m okay with being a beginner.
I personally don’t like the video at all, but I’m throwing it out there anyway, if for no other reason, at least I am showing you that you don’t have to be afraid of being yourself.
When you start taking action and doing the things you’re afraid of, you’ll notice that you start moving towards your goals much faster.
For example, I learned a lot of things by shooting my first video. One of the main lessons learned was that I need to have a glass of water nearby if I intend to make a video longer than three minutes.
I also forgot to edit out the ending where I grab the camera and turn it off, but I figured that out once I had already edited the beginning and uploaded it to YouTube, which took forever. In the end it doesn’t matter what’s holding you back if you focus on what you want to accomplish.
When I got interviewed for Blog Cast FM, it was my first real audio interview. Sure, I was a bit worried about how I might sound and how everything would work out, but once we got going, my worries melted away.
You’re probably not going to sound like a pro right away. The sooner you realize that you have to deal with being uncomfortable and feeling fear, the faster you’ll move towards your goals. The only thing it takes is the willingness to move forward and take action.
See
Before you can overcome any self-imposed rules, you have to acknowledge that they are there in the first place. If you’re constantly making excuses and believing in them, you’re probably not going to make progress as fast as someone who is willing to face their fears head on.
I’m usually pretty good at knowing what’s going on inside my head, so when I first got contacted to do an audio interview, I instantly noticed my own fears and how they affected me.
But I also knew that if I didn’t do the audio interview, I would be severely limiting the spread of my message.
If my goal is to help and connect with people, then why would I let my petty fears get in the way? Once you get your audio or video out there, you’ll notice that it really isn’t as bad as you thought. I’m still alive and well, aren’t I?
Focus
Something that has helped me a lot in overcoming fear is having a goal and purpose. When I started the Wake Up Cloud, I was afraid and I’ve been afraid on and off ever since.
The reason fear keeps popping up is because I am trying to push my boundaries and grow. You can’t grow without entering unknown territory, and you can’t enter unknown territory without being at least a little bit afraid.
From the beginning my goal has been to help others, which means that in a sense, I am putting my readers concerns before my own.
This then translates to me not taking my fears so seriously, because if I want to be able to help you, I have to overcome my own fears first.
I know a lot of people are afraid of putting themselves out there, but it really isn’t that bad. You will only get better by practicing, and you have to start somewhere.
Take Action
Sometimes it pays off not to think so much. When I started shooting my video, I did maybe 3-4 re-takes because I wanted it to be perfect.
After a while I got sick of it and decided to just get it done. I didn’t care how I looked, I trusted the fact that if I am myself, things will fall into place.
I have no idea if I am being delusional or not, but what I do know is that my strategy helps me take action and move towards my goals. Everything doesn’t have to be logical or even make sense if it’s helping you change the world and do what matters.
We all have arbitrary rules in our lives. Overcoming them isn’t hard. Realize that you do not have to make excuses. Think about what scares you the most when it comes to reaching your goals, then do them.
The most successful people in the world are afraid too, the only difference is they get things done anyway. The feeling you get by staring fear straight in the face and walking right through it is amazing. You should try it.
And this blog is about helping conscious people improve their lives not only through achieving financial freedom, but also improving their productivity, beliefs and realizing that you can live a life full of passion.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
You should watch at my videos before saying that accent doesn’t matter
Dude! I didn’t think I had an accent (English is my first language and I’ve been in the US for at least 15 years now) until I shot instructional videos for our userbase here at work.
My God. Listening to myself was ridiculous. Esp. during traininig when all 30 users turned the video up. But whatever. I’m sure we all have these hang-ups.
Henri, the video is being blocked here (no Youtube, no Twitter
) so I’ll give it a shot later. Definitely one of my goals!
@Oscar – Ha, but don’t you have an Italian accent just like in the mafia movies? If yes, that’s awesome and I am envious
@Moon – It’s amazing what a wake up call it can be to watch or listen to a recording of yourself. But yeah, in the end we all have our quirks, so it’s probably easiest to accept them.
ha, unfortunately I come from the north of italy where we have a very different accent
Don Oscar
or maybe Don del Ben, but the “don” and the “del” sound weird to me. So you’re Don Oscar for me from now on, no matter if you’re from the north
Proper rock star hair there, Henri
Congrats on getting your first video up. You’re so right: it’s all about letting go of your fears and just putting yourself out there. Don’t worry, be crappy, as Guy Kawasaki says.
The way you get comfortable and become a pro is by doing something a lot, anyway. You can’t go from 0 to great right away – it doesn’t work that way.
I had a similar experience with singing for the first time on my tunes. I was so embarrassed to hear back my voice, but others thought it was fine. The more I recorded and listened back to myself, the more comfortable I became. Now, there’s no self-consciousness left.
The same thing when I was working on a music industry documentary. SO awkward in front of the camera, but after a few shots, it got easier.
Don’t worry, be crappy. Fail often to succeed faster. And all that jazz.
Overcome the arbitrary rules that we have to be a certain way, right away, in order to do something. Everyone sucks at first.
Enjoyed the vid. Green shirt went well with red couch.
Oleg
Thanks Dude, hair is where leadership comes from. It’s an essential part of my overall strategy
It’s like you said in one of your blog posts, you have to put in 10,000 hours to master something, so if I want to rock at video, I’m going to have to put in some serious hours.
Luckily for my readers, I probably will focus more on writing for now, but who knows what the future has in store for me.
Hi, Henri
It’s nice to see you in the real video and I should admit that it looks natural, because it is.
But.. I have some different view on the videos with your own presence there. Let me explain what I mean.
What if big stars like Britney Spears, Michael Jackson (R.I.P.), Black Eyed Peas were making their video clips with their first attempts? I don’t believe, that it would attract so much attention and popularity..
Though… your loyal readers would accept your videos with you there no matter how your accent sounds like. Of course, until you speak clearly..
But.. you want to take advantage of videos, don’t you? You want your readers to watch your videos till the last second. You want your readers to wait for another video!
In this case, it’s not enough just to make videos with your first attempt.
My solution is to simply write some pre-written text and read it. But not just like that.. That would be boring.
Make people laugh.. or stare at something on the video.. or make them wait for some unexpected action and expected at the same time, because you used to surprize in your videos. Well.. you’ve got my point, right?
That’s just it
PS. You are right about taking action. This is the biggest and the most important blogging secret. Nothing works without actions.
Excellent points, Allan. It all depends on the context. Big cat artists might not publicize their crappy video on TV, but you might find it somewhere in their archives.
Great stuff Henri! Awesome to see real life Henri, and like I said you have inspired me to get on the vid too! Cool message as always.
Hey, the video style is in my opinion okay. But the sound is kind of ugly, the “s” is very hard. Maybe you can use an other microphone?
I admire you Henri. Those with courage often experience fear. The only difference is the courageous can overcome.
Hey Henri!
You did it, I’m proud of ya man! I think it’s very cool for a blogger to do a personal video, it really gives a much better idea to the readers of what you are about. Posts only do so much, like with Dragos today, that was the first time I heard him speak, he sounds different than what I imagined but I feel like I know him more now.
Also, that fear of putting yourself out there, I think it is good. It is growth, you take a risk by putting yourself on the line for remarks and criticism, but you will only grow and learn from it!
Hope to see more videos in the future!
Cheers!
Diggy
I”m really glad you are embracing multimedia content. As you can imagine I’m a huge fan of anything multimedia because it’s in its infancy in terms of use. As Diggy Said in his comments above, I love the fact that we get to know you a little bit better. I think most rules are arbitrary.
For me it’s not really rules I have set that I don’t think I’ll manage to do as far as where I think we all need to be but I do have a lisp. It’s not horrible and a while back I just explained to myself that I need to believe in what I say and then speak it loud and proud. If I’m embarresed by it, oh well. It’s me and people can take me or leave me.
My S sounds like TH and that’s not even the point. The point is, deliver the message and say what needs said. When I start doing videos that’s what I intend to do is make sure my message gets out there and who cares how I sound. I’m me. No one else can do THAT!
By the way, cool video man.
It’s so nice to seeing you and hearing you in person. It makes your articles much more personable.
Kudos for you to taking the first video step. You’re definitely walking the talk.
I like the fact that you said just to do it (I mean, it looks like you didn’t even comb your hair) and people will either respond or they won’t. Just getting yourself out there takes a lot of guts and while some people won’t respond favourably, many many more will. Your reach will extend to those appreciate audio and video, rather than those who simply like to read their articles.
Freshly squeezed orange juice – can anything be better? Great advice!
Karen
wow awesome insights.
Definetly video brings out more of your personality and some people are intimidated by that
but hey video works, and video definetly will make you closer to your goals.
An as with experience everything will get better.
you have to make mostakes and in the process you learn
great video
Hi Henri,
Great video. It seems I got to get a video up soon. I also love the idea of doing what we fear. By conquering our fear, we are expanding our comfort zone and growing exponentially. Great video!
Cheers,
Vincent
Just watched your awesome video. And you are so very right, one never likes to see themselves in camera, or hear themselves. As an actor, I’ve to overcome that again and again.
Henri, I enjoyed your video, and I like your accent. Yes, we need to get over the fear of putting ourselves out there.
One thing I really liked is your comment about fresh squeezed orange juice! When I was a little girl, my father would fix fresh squeezed orange juice in the mornings and bring a glass to my bedroom. It was so wonderful to be awakened with that taste, the nectar of the gods! Especially nice was having a father who loved me so much. After he died, six years ago, I was making some orange juice (frozen, unfortunately). I began to thank my father, aloud, for all those glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder…
That’s amazing, Mary! Thanks for sharing that. Freshly-squeezed orange juice is truly the nectar of the gods. So tasty it is!