The video I posted on December 13th (bottom of page) kinda kicked my guilty conscience and made me acknowledge a flaw of mine. I'm sure I'm not the only one in the world who does this, yet I'm now in a position to work on that flaw. Why? Because I'm now cognitively aware of it.
I want you to join me on a little exercise.
Sit down with me, take out a sheet of paper or a notebook, and write down ALL the awesome stuff in life you've ever thought…that could be cool. No limits! Just…everything!
I set out to explore mindset, limiting beliefs, and lies we tell ourselves.
One of those lies is "I don't have the time". The truth is, we have nothing BUT time. What we lack is clarity on how we prioritize that time.
It pairs well with "analysis paralysis", though, because some of the things we want to learn/do etc. take a lot of time. Writing a book? Yup! Learning to do it well? Even longer!
It becomes a bit frightening, so we procrastinate our way out of it. That's unfortunately normal behavior because our brain really doesn't want to do things that are difficult. It likes hogging energy and leaves feet-up-Netflix-on for some passive entertainment seem a fantastic idea.
Is it, though?
I guess mine manifests in buying/starting something new with the intention of dabbling, yet my discipling when it comes to writing has ended up being so prioritized that I can pretty much be sure to down-prioritize everything else. Like TV. I haven't watched TV in over a year now. I don't have time for that because I've prioritized working on my books and learn marketing and reading stuff. And now YouTube and this blog.
Watching TV is a habit. So's procrastination. The good news is that habits can be changed with a bit of continuous effort. The best book on the subject I've ever read is Atomic Habits by James Clear. It's a re-read of mine.
After the last video, I journaled for clarity. That's the point of the exercise I'm encouraging you to join me on because now I want you to join me on a "15x30". Find 15 minutes a day and dedicate yourself for 30 days to one thing on your list.
I got my list. Now what?
Pick one, then ignore the others for those 30 days.
If you're anything like me, analysis paralysis kicks in, and you have no idea what to start with.
This is where my personal vice kicks in, and I look for a new shiny object. But nope! Anything on my list has been boiled down to what I have already bought or set into motion earlier to grind to a halt. Some have barely been started.
Pick it by rolling a die or spill a blotch of ketchup, or toss a dart, make a poll, whatever. Just get past the analysis paralysis and then push past the discomforts and nuisances that real life toss at us. There will always be days where we don't feel like it or where we don't feel like we have the time or a gazillion other excuses.
Clarity of priorities
If we can't find 15 minutes a day to dedicate to ourselves and something we love, then what is prioritized is instead harmful! We must take care of ourselves and see to our own happiness, too. It's not selfish! If we're happy and fulfilled, we have so much more to bring to our family and friends because we're then filled up and have enough happiness and joy to share it with them. Tending to ourselves first is what allows us to bring others great value.
I wrote all mine down, and I'll be using different methods to pick something. Considering it started with a piano, I'll keep it with music and do the guitar afterward.
I'll break the list into groups of six and roll a die. No analysis paralysis there, but I just know I'll then overthink it and wonder whether I should prioritize something else or whether something else could be more fun to do first. But that's the mindset that made the guitar stand in a corner since I got it. That's the mindset needing change.
Make it a hattrick if possible
If one of the important responsibilities that keep you is that you're a parent, then wonder what role model you can be to your children by engaging them in it. Show them that it's okay to tend to their own happiness by being good to themselves.
If you feel guilty for taking 15 minutes to yourself, then dedicate 15 minutes to play LEGO with them afterward. Or go to the playground. Make that part of this challenge of self-care.
I'll be dedicating 15 minutes a day to something on that list in the hope that I can show the way. One of the things to keep in motion is of course this YouTube video making thing, and it takes WAY more than 15 minutes a day, both researching, watching how-to's, practicing video edit, make thumbnails, write blogposts, and all that jazz.
That's why I figured I'd make all of them a part of my YouTube challenge while exploring and learning about some of the mental aspects that have held me back from doing them.
Because I can combine stuff, I can do more than one a day, while I play around with a camera. I even hope to find motivation and…reason? I wonder if we procrastinate what we'd like to do/try because we sometimes lack a reason to kick our own ass into doing something? What do you think? Comment below. I'd love to know what this exercise unearths for you.
Fun problems to be conquered
Yeah, learning new things is a challenge, so remember to have fun with it by focusing on mistakes being a part of the journey and some you'll one day look back on and barely remember. That is why I'm doing it all again, after all—to remember what I conquered to master a field.
Learning YouTuby things and how to make engaging videos, I try out all sorts of things.
I have this idea that it could be fun filming from a half circle and edit it all together for some sense of progression. I'm trying that with the piano challenge that I'm now halfway through. That's seriously a headache! My ring light and tripod thing don't work well together, I don't have the space to actually moved it that full 180 around where I sit now, and I've managed to knock the thing over so many times I'm surprised that it hasn't broken yet.
Next up…the challenge of editing all those videos to have me somewhat at the same place on the screen. Not to mention sound. That'll be horrible because there are a lot of mistakes being plonked out on the keyboard.
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