Too Late To Quit YouTube?
“Very few bloggers, however, make the transition from obscurity to non-obscurity, because it also takes an unhealthy dose of hard work, perseverance, discipline, patience, improvement, and personality.”
-What You Need To Know To Make A Living As A Blogger
While this quote is talking specifically about bloggers, I can definitely relate to it as someone who is trying to make a living in the social media industry.
Before I decided to become a YouTuber, I knew it would be hard.
People told me that I would struggle. Not that I didn't believe them... but I didn’t really understand everything it would require me to get to where I want to be. Even a year in, I'm not quite on pace to be in the place where I want to be.
Figure 1: I'm proud of what I've done. But it's been a long journey
So if I could go back in time knowing what I know now, would I still do it? Would I still try and become a YouTuber?
I want to say YES, emphatically, because the human side of me wants to justify my decision making. However, this answer just isn't so cut and dry. I've quite frankly given up a lot to be in the position I'm in now, things like my health and many friendships. I've had to learn how to be disciplined especially when I don't feel like it - this means that there are days I wake up and just have to force myself to go through the motions because the work demands it.
But back to the question - yes, yes I would. More and more I'm learning that life is about the journey you take more than the destination.
Take this as an example: The most common school of thought financial advisors give to people who hit the lottery is to put it away and pretend it never happened. Most people who are given a large sum of money don't know what to do it and end up having compounded problems because of it. The problem is, when you reach your destination too early, you miss out on all the learnings from failures and hardships. You start taking things for granted.
My journey specifically has drawn me infinitely times closer to God. Every day I wake up, I'm forced to rely on Him. I can't leave my apartment without my bible or I honestly feel lost. God guides me, God drives me, and God gives me confidence because I know I'm not relying on my own human spirit to succeed.
This alone is the biggest reason why I continue to do YouTube and absolutely love it.
But I think the key for me is to not just continue because I feel pot committed.
I have to be careful that I'm not just saying yes because of how deep I've already entrenched myself in YouTube. In economics, this concept is called "sunk costs," which are investments you made that you can't get back. My sunk costs are:
The time I've given to YouTube
The sacrifices I've given up in my social life
And one that isn't so straightforward: The pressure to succeed because my job is so public. I feel this pressure because I've told other people to follow their dreams so how would it look if I dropped everything and went back to corporate life?
But committing to something because of how much we've given up is the problem so many people make with their lives now. Sunk costs make us feel like we can't and shouldn't quit. To an extreme, this is why it's so hard to get out of abusive relationships.
I guess what I'm trying to say is this: yes, I would still do YouTube if I could do it all over again. And yes, I'm happy with where I am now. But as I go deeper and deeper into my YouTube career, I gotta focus on the journey and have an open hand when considering my future. And even though I've given up a lot, it's never too late to quit. The things I've gained from just being on this journey are enough to justify my sunk costs.
Have a wonderful rest of the week! Much love and I'll see you next Thursday :)
Steven
