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What I Learned from Publishing 30 YouTube Videos in 30 Days

What I Learned from Publishing 30 YouTube Videos in 30 Days

On April 1, I opened a new Zoom session, clicked “Record” and started talking.

In the short video, I committed to filming one video a day and promptly published it on YouTube. I immediately sent the link to one of my mastermind groups; letting them know about what I’d committed to, asking them to hold me accountable.

Here it is – still in my workout clothes + no sense of proper lighting 😂

This was a small-scale commitment, I only shared it with a few people. This challenge was not about putting myself out there. It was more about committing to a daily creative practice.

I’m a massive fan of 30-day challenges.

Five things I learned from posting a video on YouTube every day for 30 days

When we do stuff unapologetically for ourselves, we make it okay for others to do the same.

Proud of myself

The self-respect and self-trust that comes with having committed to something, and then doing it because I decided to, is real. There is a special kind of pride that comes with “I said I would do it, and I did it”.

Installing new habits and following through has been important for me, and a great way to build confidence.

Learning in public

For a few months, I’ve been exploring the idea of learning in public. It’s an idea that’s based in the fact that we’re not super interested in the shiny, glossy exterior of someone’s results. Instead, it’s a lot more interesting – for everyone – to document your process. You learn in public.

I love the beginner’s mindset and make it a point to challenge myself in different ways when I can. Sharing your process can be a bit vulnerable. If it weren’t, then everyone would do it.

Document, don’t create.

My output tripled, at least

Because I set time everyday to create, I had to show up. It was mostly fun, but at times, I was bored. With the process, and with what I was sharing on vide.

What happened though was that a lot of the ideas I shared on video helped me get clearer in my communications and in my writing. My decision to set a time for everyday to express ideas spilled over. I got more ideas, felt like I wanted to keep writing and

The format of thinking out loud has helped me get my ideas in order. For that reason alone, I might keep recording my thoughts. If not video, then probably audio.

You committing to yourself gives permission to others to do the same

One of the coolest things about this challenge is that it influenced others.

I shared this with a handful of people. It had a ripple effect though, and at the end of the month, I knew about 18 people who had kicked off 30-day challenges. Some were trying new things, others were committing to dreams they’d been pushing aside for a long time.

Me, showing up for myself, inspired others to do the same.

One comment has stuck with me: “I’m so inspired by what you’re doing. And what made me begin my own challenge, was when I realized you didn’t care about how many views you got”.

I couldn’t care less how many watched my videos. I did it for me. And that in itself, made someone realize that they could do something for themselves.

I’m not a YouTuber

One of the reasons I love 30-day challenges is that it gives me a way to try on a new identity. This month allowed me to try on the identity of being a “youtuber” (whatever that means), or at least a person who regularly posts on YouTube.

One takeaway is that I didn’t love this format. I will most definitely keep using it in some ways, but I’m more attracted to audio.

But the best thing? Now I know. At least for now, I can sleep well, knowing that I’m not missing anything not jumping into YouTube 😉

Why even do a 30-day challenge?

Don’t worry. Because of the youtube deep-dive, I have a video for that 🙂