struthless - I can't keep doing this
The speaker reflects on a personal journey of overcoming self-doubt and the fear of self-promotion. Initially, a negative comment about promoting his book led to a decline in confidence and visibility. This experience highlighted the struggle between wanting to be seen and the fear of being judged. The speaker realized that focusing on negative feedback overshadowed the positive impact his work had on others, including messages from readers who found solace in his book during difficult times.
To combat this, the speaker decided to embrace visibility by committing to 50 days of self-promotion, inspired by a friend's structured approach to marketing her book. This experiment aims to challenge the belief that self-promotion leads to losing followers. The speaker also shares insights from completing major creative projects, emphasizing the importance of taking on big challenges and not playing small. The video concludes with a reminder that obstacles are part of the creative process, and what truly matters is how one responds to them.
Key Points:
- Overcome self-doubt by focusing on positive feedback rather than negative comments.
- Commit to structured self-promotion to challenge fears of visibility.
- Embrace big creative challenges to grow and avoid playing small.
- Recognize that obstacles are inherent in creative work and focus on solutions.
- Use personal experiences to inspire and connect with others.
Details:
1. 📦 Frustrations and the Elusive DM
- The creator spent 11 hours searching for a DM from 4 years ago, crucial for a video, illustrating significant inefficiencies in content management.
- Inability to find the DM despite recent access highlights the need for better digital archiving and retrieval systems.
- Poor organization led to a loss of productivity and frustration, emphasizing the importance of efficient digital content management.
- The incident underscores the potential for improved systems or tools to prevent similar future issues and enhance workflow efficiency.
2. 📚 Promo Pressures and Self-Reflection
- Spending excessive time (11 hours) on tasks with negligible value highlights the risk of determination leading to inefficient time use.
- Determination and task completion drive can be counterproductive if not properly managed, potentially leading to burnout or wasted resources.
- Incorporating self-reflection practices, such as reading or referencing insightful quotes (e.g., Cicero, Einstein), can enhance perspective and prevent repeated inefficiencies.
- Recognizing and taking personal responsibility for productivity issues is vital for improvement and effective time management.
- Employing specific self-reflection techniques, such as maintaining a journal or setting aside dedicated reflection time, can aid in identifying and rectifying inefficiencies.
3. 💭 Confidence, Criticism, and Artistic Identity
3.1. Breaking Free from Repetitive Patterns
3.2. Shift in Perspective through Positive Feedback
3.3. Challenges of Self-Promotion and Contextual Understanding
4. 🔄 Overcoming Self-Promotion Challenges
4.1. Self-Promotion and Its Challenges
4.2. Strategies to Overcome Self-Promotion Challenges
5. 😞 Old Wounds and Seeking Balance
- The speaker experienced a long, gradual decline in confidence after a negative comment, highlighting the vulnerability of personal insecurities.
- The negative comment led to a loss of many followers, indicating a tangible impact on the speaker's social media presence.
- The speaker compared the effect of the comment to a peanut allergy, where a specific trigger causes a disproportionate reaction, illustrating the depth of the emotional impact.
- Despite typically being unfazed by negative comments, this particular comment resonated deeply with the speaker, causing significant personal reflection and emotional turmoil.
6. 📬 Positivity Amidst Negativity
- The speaker grapples with a lifelong conflict of wanting to be both seen and invisible, reflecting the challenges of balancing extroversion with the safety of anonymity.
- The speaker acknowledges the impact of growing up in an environment where standing out had negative consequences, such as bullying, which may lead to a desire for invisibility despite having a performer's soul.
- The speaker experiences a revelation while searching for a specific hate comment, realizing the metaphor of overlooking numerous positive messages, including one from a terminal cancer patient who found solace in the speaker's book.
- The speaker expresses frustration and shame for failing to remember significant positive feedback, highlighting the human tendency to focus on negativity despite receiving life-changing positive affirmations.
7. 📈 Unlearning vs. Unraveling
- Unraveling is the consequence of repeatedly taking the easy path, leading to unaddressed issues that eventually cause problems.
- Unlearning involves making difficult choices to confront and resolve past issues, leading to a more effortless future.
- The process of unlearning is likened to focusing on an initial scribble, which initially draws attention but becomes part of a meaningful whole when revisited and built upon.
- The distinction between unlearning and unraveling emphasizes proactive problem-solving versus passive complacency.
8. 🗣️ Embracing Visibility and Resilience
- Completing massive projects like creating audiobooks and illustrating a graphic novel with 60 full-color illustrations in two weeks highlights the importance of taking on big challenges.
- The notion of 'The Muse' from Steven Presfield's 'The War of Art' emphasizes that creativity thrives on tackling significant challenges rather than playing it small.
- The author plans a 50-day promotional experiment for their book 'Doom and Bloom', treating it as a scientific method to test the impact of increased visibility and whether it leads to losing followers.
- The promotional strategy includes utilizing podcasts, YouTube channels, and engaging with audiences through comments to maximize exposure.
- Amy McNe's approach of committing to 100 days of promotion for her book 'We Need Your Art' serves as an inspiration for structured and consistent self-promotion.
- Overcoming the fear of visibility by embracing promotion and engagement is seen as a way to combat the inner voice that encourages staying small and hidden.
9. 🎬 Overcoming Obstacles and Taking Action
- Directing involves constant challenges, such as budget constraints, actors pulling out, and shortened timelines; these are inherent parts of the job.
- The focus should be on how one responds to setbacks rather than the setbacks themselves, as overcoming obstacles is central to success.
- Embracing and addressing challenges effectively is more critical than the nature or number of challenges faced.