My honest advice to a perfectionist
Summary
TLDRIn this episode, Ali, a former doctor turned entrepreneur, discusses overcoming perfectionism, particularly in content creation. He shares his personal struggles and insights, offering practical advice to Andy, who is dealing with overthinking and perfectionism in growing his YouTube channel. Ali emphasizes the importance of creating for the joy of helping others, not just for personal satisfaction.
Takeaways
- π₯ Ali, a doctor turned entrepreneur, has been making YouTube videos for 7 years, overcoming perfectionism along the way.
- π Ali recently wrote a book called 'Feelgood Productivity', which also required overcoming perfectionistic tendencies.
- π€ Andy, a busy individual with a full-time job and two kids, is seeking advice on overcoming perfectionism in creating YouTube content.
- π Ali shares his own struggles with perfectionism, including the 'voice of the saboteur' that tries to stop creative endeavors.
- π± The 'voice of the saboteur' often suggests over-preparation and overthinking, which can hinder starting a project.
- π Ali suggests changing the context or format of the task to see if perfectionism still applies, as a way to combat it.
- π€ He recommends asking if the work has the potential to help at least one person as a measure of its value, rather than striving for universal acclaim.
- π¨ Ali emphasizes the importance of enjoying the creative process, as it can lead to better work and less stress.
- π He suggests that creators should focus on the potential impact on others rather than on their own ego or fear of judgment.
- π The transcript highlights the idea of 'reasonable' quality as a goal, rather than perfection, to reduce the pressure of creating content.
- π¬ Ali invites viewers to share their struggles in the comments, showing an openness to connect and provide further advice.
Q & A
What is Ali's background and how does it relate to the topic of perfectionism?
-Ali is a former doctor turned entrepreneur who has been making YouTube videos for 7 years and has also published a book called 'Feelgood Productivity'. His experiences with overcoming perfectionistic tendencies in these endeavors make him well-equipped to discuss and offer advice on dealing with perfectionism.
What is the main issue that Andy is facing with his YouTube channel?
-Andy struggles with overthinking and perfectionism when creating content for his YouTube channel. He worries about whether his content is good enough and fears that it might not be valuable to his audience, which leads to delays in posting videos.
What is the term Ali uses to describe the internal voice that tries to sabotage creative efforts?
-Ali refers to this internal voice as 'the voice of the saboteur', which is a mental barrier that tries to prevent action by promoting overthinking and self-doubt.
How does Ali suggest changing the context or format of a task to combat perfectionism?
-Ali suggests that changing the context or format of a task can alter one's perception of perfectionism. By asking how perfectionism would manifest if the task were approached differently, one might realize that the perfectionistic standards do not hold up in a different setting.
What is the concept of 'done is better than perfect' and how does it apply to Andy's situation?
-'Done is better than perfect' is a concept that encourages action over endless perfectionism. It applies to Andy's situation by suggesting that he should post his videos even if they are not perfect, as the act of creating and sharing is more important than striving for unattainable perfection.
What is the significance of the phrase 'what would it look like if it were fun' in Ali's approach to dealing with perfectionism?
-The phrase 'what would it look like if it were fun' is a reflection prompt that Ali uses to shift the focus from the pressure of perfection to the enjoyment of the creative process. It helps to reframe the task at hand into something enjoyable rather than a source of stress.
How does Ali define the 'bar' for quality in the context of overcoming perfectionism?
-Ali defines the 'bar' for quality as whether the work has the potential to help at least one person. This lower bar is more achievable than striving for perfection and allows creators to share their work without the fear of it not being good enough.
What advice does Ali give about the relationship between enjoyment and productivity in creative work?
-Ali suggests that enjoying the creative process leads to better work, more creativity, less stress, and increased productivity. He emphasizes that focusing on enjoyment can improve the quality of work more than trying to optimize for perfection.
How does Ali handle the voice of the saboteur when it tries to prevent him from starting a video?
-Ali acknowledges the voice of the saboteur but tells it that he will record the video anyway, with the understanding that he doesn't have to publish it if it doesn't meet his standards. This approach allows him to overcome the initial resistance to starting.
What is the strategy of writing down what the voice of the saboteur is saying, and how can it help with perfectionism?
-Writing down the voice of the saboteur's messages can help externalize and scrutinize the perfectionistic thoughts. It allows for a more objective assessment of whether these thoughts are reasonable or simply barriers to action.
What advice does Ali offer for dealing with the fear of what others might think when sharing creative work?
-Ali advises shifting the focus from oneself to the potential audience, considering the act of sharing creative work as a service to others. This mindset can reduce the fear of judgment and the pressure of meeting arbitrary personal standards.
How does Ali suggest using the concept of 'reasonable' to manage expectations while creating?
-Ali suggests telling oneself that the current work just needs to be 'reasonable' and that the next one will be good. This approach helps to lower the bar for the current task, reducing perfectionism and allowing for more fluid creation.
Outlines
π₯ Overcoming Perfectionism in Content Creation
Ali, a former doctor turned entrepreneur and YouTuber, shares his experiences with perfectionism, particularly in the context of video production. He discusses his journey of making over 800 videos and writing a book, both of which required him to confront and overcome perfectionistic tendencies. Ali introduces the main subject of the video: addressing Andy's struggle with perfectionism in growing his YouTube channel. He emphasizes that the principles discussed can apply to various forms of perfectionism beyond content creation.
π€― The Voice of the Saboteur: Perfectionism's Inner Critic
Ali delves into his own thoughts and the internal struggle with the 'voice of the saboteur,' which he identifies as the internal critic that tries to prevent creative action due to fear of imperfection. He uses the example of filming in an unfamiliar park with background noise to illustrate how this voice can create doubt and delay. Ali also mentions his rebranded newsletter, 'Life Notes,' and encourages viewers to subscribe for weekly insights.
π Redefining Quality: From Perfection to Potential Impact
The video script explores the concept of redefining one's standard of quality to focus on the potential impact of the work, rather than achieving an arbitrary level of perfection. Ali suggests that if a piece of work has the potential to help at least one person, it meets a 'reasonable' standard. He credits Austin Kleon's book 'Show Your Work' for influencing this perspective and encourages creators to share their work if it can potentially benefit someone.
π Embracing Enjoyment as a Key to Overcoming Perfectionism
Ali discusses the importance of enjoyment in the creative process and how it can counteract perfectionism. He mentions an executive coach, Joe Hudson, who believes that enjoyment leads to efficiency and better work. Ali suggests that focusing on the fun and enjoyment of creating, rather than on the quality of the outcome, can help alleviate perfectionistic pressures and lead to more satisfying work.
π The Saboteur's Tactics: Recognizing and Overcoming Resistance
In this paragraph, Ali talks about the tactics of the 'voice of the saboteur,' which often tries to prevent the start of a creative endeavor by suggesting reasons to delay or avoid it. He shares his personal strategy of telling the voice that he will create the work but doesn't have to publish it, which often quiets the saboteur's resistance. Ali emphasizes the importance of starting and trusting the editing process to refine the work into a final product.
π Learning from Others: Strategies for Managing Perfectionism
Ali reflects on advice he received from Cal Newport, a successful author, about managing perfectionism in writing. Newport's strategy of telling himself that each book just needs to be 'reasonable' and the next one will be good has helped Ali and others in dealing with the pressure of creating perfect work. The paragraph highlights the value of learning and applying strategies from those who have successfully navigated similar challenges.
π€ Shifting Focus from Self to Service
The final paragraph emphasizes shifting the focus from one's ego to serving others as a way to combat perfectionism. Ali suggests that creating with the intention of helping others can alleviate the fear of imperfection. He also invites viewers to share their struggles in the comments and offers to answer questions directly in future videos, highlighting the value of community and connection in the creative process.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Perfectionism
π‘Overthinking
π‘Content Creation
π‘Imposter Syndrome
π‘Resistance
π‘Value
π‘Enjoyment
π‘Sabor
π‘Service
π‘Productivity
π‘Fear
Highlights
Ali, a doctor turned entrepreneur, shares his experience overcoming perfectionism in content creation.
Ali has made over 800 YouTube videos and written a book, 'Feelgood Productivity', both requiring him to battle perfectionistic tendencies.
The episode discusses Andy's struggle with perfectionism in growing his YouTube channel and Ali's advice for overcoming it.
Andy's goal is to help busy people create space in their lives for what matters most through his YouTube channel.
Ali emphasizes that the principles discussed apply to various types of perfectionism beyond just content creation.
Ali shares his personal insights on battling the voice of the saboteur, which tries to prevent creative action.
The 'voice of the saboteur' is identified as an internal voice that tries to halt creative endeavors due to fear of imperfection.
Ali talks about the importance of recognizing and dismissing the voice of the saboteur to move forward with creative projects.
He suggests changing the context or format of a task to see if perfectionism still holds true, as a way to overcome it.
Ali recommends asking if the work has the potential to help at least one person as a measure of its value.
He shares a strategy from Austin Kleon's book 'Show Your Work' about sharing work that can help others.
Ali discusses the importance of enjoying the creative process rather than focusing solely on the outcome.
He suggests that enjoyment can lead to higher efficiency and better work than striving for perfection.
Ali talks about the benefits of pressing record and creating content without the pressure of publishing it.
He mentions that the editing process can transform a rough recording into a valuable final product.
Ali shares advice from Cal Newport about accepting that one work just needs to be reasonable while the next will be good.
He concludes by emphasizing that overcoming perfectionism often involves focusing on serving others rather than one's ego.
Transcripts
hi my name is Ali I'm a doctor turned
entrepreneur and I've been making
YouTube videos for the last 7 years I've
made over 800 videos which has required
overcoming a lot of perfectionistic
Tendencies and I also recently wrote and
published a book called Feelgood
productivity and that also required
overcoming a lot of perfectionistic
Tendencies and so in this episode of not
life advice we're going to be looking at
a guy called Andy and he's going to
share some of his perfectionistic
struggles as it relates to growing his
YouTube channel for example and I'm
going to share my honest advice for
someone who's a perfectionist in that
sense now just a quick caveat uh Andy's
problem specifically relates to feeling
like overthinking e and perfectionistic
when it comes to making YouTube videos
but I think the same principles apply
with whatever type of perfectionistic
Tendencies you're struggling with not
just if you're a content creator so
let's get into Andy's question hey my
name is Andy I am currently working
full-time I have two kids I lead a
pretty busy life and my goal is to
develop a a YouTube channel um that
helps busy people create space in their
life to do what matters most this has
been something that's been on my heart
in my mind for quite some time because I
just want to help people that's all I
want to do my problem right now is that
I get caught in overthinking and
overanalyzing the things that I want to
post and so I have a bit of uh
perfectionism in there where I uh
overthink all of my content and I think
is it good enough is anybody going to
see this and it takes me so long to
actually post something and I just want
to post
something but it's never good enough so
so I have posted a few videos sometimes
I just post because done is better than
perfect
and yeah so how do you
overcome overanalyzing and
overthinking um content or things that
you need to do thank you so much for all
the help that you've put out book was
awesome by the way thanks for that still
going through it highlighting for like
the second or third time thanks have a
good one all righty so that was Andy
asking a question about how to overcome
perfectionism how to stop overthinking
and just doing the thing rather than
thinking about doing the thing so let's
talk about
that before I answer this question I
want to let you guys into a little bit
of insight into my own mind around these
things because you know people start
people ask me for advice about this sort
of stuff and yeah I think it's it it it
might be useful for you to hear what's
what's currently going through my mind
so what's currently going through my
mind is that it is 7:00 in the morning
I'm here in Boise Idaho in the US uh to
speak at the convert kit craft Commerce
conference but because of jet lag flying
in from London I woke up pretty early um
and I decided to go for a little walk
outside and then cuz it was a nice day
and I had this little mini camera with
me I thought oh why don't I film a video
and I saw Andy's question and thought Oh
okay this could be a fun one to do now
what's currently going through my mind
is O you know maybe I need to actually
be sad at my desk because when talking
about imposter syndrome and
perfectionism and overthinking like you
know I'd love to be able to draw like
diagrams and stuff to to think about it
so maybe now is not the right time to
film this video another thing going
through my mind is like I'm in this
random Park in Boise Idaho I've never
been before in my life and it's a super
nice park but the freaking lawnmower
people are like all around the park like
there's like a dude there and a dude
there and a dude there and there's this
like kind of background audio
and I can hear it really loudly and I've
got this thing so I don't know how much
it's like canceling the audio and so
what was going through in my mind is you
know maybe I have some things to say to
Andy's question but you know there's
lawnmowers in the background so maybe I
so so so maybe I shouldn't make this
video right now why don't I wait until
tomorrow and then you know I'll just
wake up early tomorrow and come for
another walk and then hopefully tomorrow
like surely they can't be mowing the
lawn two days in a row maybe it's just
like I don't know on a Wednesday where
they mow the lawn so like maybe I
shouldn't make this video then there was
also part of me that was thinking oh you
know something like a a video like this
this you know I I really should film it
in my desk because cuz then when I'm at
my desk I can sort of think about what
what I want to say and what the the the
points for preparing this video are and
all of these thoughts were going through
my mind and one thing that I've Gotten
Good at over time is to recognize when
the voice of the sabur is holding me
back I I so I talk a lot about this
thing with my CEO coach Eric partaker
you should check him out on YouTube and
blinked in and stuff and Eric calls it
the voice of the sabur in all of our
minds in all of our brains there is this
voice that is hellbent on sabotaging
whatever creative thing we are trying to
do in the war of art by Steven
pressfield he calls it the resistance
the voice of the sabur it is not my
voice that's saying oh you know maybe I
should wait till tomorrow when the
lawnmowers are gone it's not my voice
that's saying you know maybe I should
wait until I'm at desk so I can draw
diagrams and it's the voice of the
sabur that is trying to stop me from
doing this creative
thing the thing with perfectionism
imposter syndrome overthinking generally
it does get better when you have
expertise in something right like I no
longer feel that much impost of
perfectionism overthinking when it comes
to videos about about like how to grow
on YouTube which I'm filming at my desk
like I know how that works right
it's not that hard but this format of
video to me is is a little bit different
it's like I'm filming a video for the
main Channel I'm not doing it with the
whole fancy camera setup I'm doing it in
a park while walking around there's
people running and cycling around me
feels kind of awkward and so this is an
area where I have I don't have enough
reps to be able to feel to feel
ridiculously confident doing the thing
and therefore in those instances the
voice of the sabator is coming online so
I wanted to share that first of all
because I think it might be interesting
to hear that like someone probably looks
at at this YouTube channel we' Got 5 and
a half million subscribers and think
that oh yeah Al's made 800 plus videos
over the last seven years he's got the
down but no like when it comes to
when it comes to making a video that
feels a little bit outside of my
wheelhouse and even often for videos
where I'm sitting at my desk I also feel
that voice of oh this isn't good enough
oh maybe we shouldn't make this video oh
maybe I need to prepare more oh by the
way in case you have not heard my weekly
email newsletter used to be called
Sunday Snippets it's having a bit of a
Rebrand it's now called Life notes it is
a weekly-ish email that I send for free
every single week where I'll be sharing
notes that I am taking throughout life
so it's notes from books I'm reading
podcasts I'm listening to videos I'm
watching conversations I'm having and
stuff that's going on in the business
there'll be a link down below if you
want to subscribe or scan this QR code
and anyway let's get back to the video
the voice of the sabur never says don't
do the thing it says we can do the thing
but we need to work a lot harder we need
to prepare a lot more and that's where
all this sort of overthinking kind of
stuff comes in you know if the sabator
was saying don't do the thing at all you
suck it's it's actually easier to
dismiss that either you just listen to
it or you just dismiss it and so you
either do the thing or you don't do the
thing and it's like a lot easier to deal
with the sabur but when the sabur says
things that are Broad reasonable like
hey this video might potentially be seen
by a few tens of thousands of people
potentially even hundreds of thousands
of people holy you know we've got a
responsibility here we want to make sure
the content is good we don't just want
to speak from the heart because like
what the do we know we don't want
to do it while walking around in a park
because like the lighting's a bit off
and there's like sh lawn mowers in the
background nah we should totally wait we
should wait until tomorrow we should
wait until next week when we're back in
London cuz we can always film this video
later and you know what it's like a
12-hour Journey back to London so why
don't we this is really interesting
video idea how to how to think about
like perfectionism and uh overthinking
and like how to actually do the thing so
like really we should think about it for
another 12 hours before we sit down and
actually make the video this is the
voice of the sabur we all have this
voice of the sabur inside us Andy I know
you have the voice of the sabur inside
you that's probably telling you with
regards to your YouTube videos it needs
more preparation I do not currently have
enough value to give what if people what
if I'm wasting people's time what if
they
think when when you really start writing
these things down this is a a strategy
that that can often help just like
literally writing down what the sabur is
saying like Andy if you were to figure
out like what the sabur is saying and
actually write it down it might say
something like I must prepare this video
for another 20 hours otherwise it's not
valuable enough huh interesting but like
if a friend were to ask you Andy you
know have you got any tips and you know
you're you're a dad you got two kids you
got a job you want to you're starting a
YouTube channel man how how do you make
time for it all would you would do you
say to the friend genuinely over coffee
oh sorry mate um i' I've got to do 20
hours of preparation on that before I
can even give you a vague semblance of
an answer cuz I'm just really worried
I'm not providing enough value to you no
of course you wouldn't if you were
talking to a friend and that friend was
asking you that specific question you
would be able to just give them a
response you would speak from the heart
you wouldn't be overthinking
it there's something about putting stuff
out there on the Internet or submitting
a work assignment or a homework
assignment or whatever the thing might
be where that context of doing the thing
is so different from us just being asked
a question question by a friend and if
we were asked a question by a friend of
course we'd have a great response to the
thing so that is one Hack That I Found
really helpful like genuinely is is
thinking whenever the voice of the sabur
the voice of perfectionism is in my mind
thinking to myself
okay if I were to change the context
does that change how I feel about the
thing I had so much perfectionism when
it came to my book right because a book
is like a serious thing it's like a a
piece of paper that's out there in the
real world and in bookstores and stuff I
still have yet to see it in a bookstore
myself I've had photos from friends send
it to me from various different
bookstores oh my goodness people can
review it on Amazon oh my goodness what
if people don't like the book then
that's going to be absolutely terrible
okay there's a lawnmower in that
direction so let's go back this way
that's going to be absolutely terrible
what if people don't like the book holy
and so one thing I would say Andy
or anyone else struggling with imposter
syndrome perfectionism
is what would it look like if you
changed the format and does your
perfectionism still hold true if you to
change the the context or the format of
the thing that you are doing tactic
number two for dealing with
perfectionism essentially for me when I
feel that sense of perfectionism it's a
sense of okay I am making something at
this level of quality and I want the
thing to be at that level of quality and
it's not yet at that level of quality
therefore I must work to get it from
here which is a sh level quality to
there which is a good level of quality
you know that that kind of idea and this
idea is you know it's it's again
reasonable it is not unreasonable to say
that like you know my work is here and I
want to get it to there and therefore I
have to do more work to to get the thing
there the way that I personally get over
is I tell myself that the bar is does
this thing have the potential to help at
least one person who is watching it or
reading it or listening to it does this
thing have the potential to help at
least one person it doesn't even have to
help that one person because actually
helping them is outside of my control
but does it have the potential to help
at least one person does this video that
I'm filming from the heart Without
Really any preparation just sort of
answering this question that Andy's
brought up does my answer here does my
Spiel however long it ends up being have
the potential to help at least one
person now if you watching this then by
definition you have found the first bit
of this video sufficiently valuable to
keep watching right that's a weird kind
of thought for me because right now I'm
just here on my own in this random Park
in the middle of nowhere in Boise Idaho
and so I I I don't know how people are
going to respond to this video but all I
know is my bar is does this have the
potential to help at least one person
and if it does then I'll post the thing
and if it doesn't then I won't post the
thing me photographing a photo of my
coffee and posting it on like a YouTube
Community post does that have the
potential to help at least one person
probably not so I wouldn't post a random
photo of my coffee on a YouTube
Community post this is an idea I stole
from Austin cleon's amazing book show
your work show your work is a book I
read in 2016 I've reread it multiple
times since then I would really
recommend Andy or whoever watching this
if you haven't read show your work by
atin Cleon it's really really good that
was the book that really helped me get
over the fear the
perfectionism the fear you know let's
call it fear like you know uh
perfectionism and fear are basically the
same thing um it helped me get over the
fear of starting a personal website cuz
I had s all sorts of like overthinking
about it etc etc and your work taught me
if your work has the potential to help
at least one person along in in their
Journey then there is almost a moral
obligation on you to share that thing
and to do that thing and to post that
thing so Andy Andy you who is
overthinking these videos that you're
posting on your YouTube channel it's
worth defining what is your bar for
quality is the bar for Quality I think
this has to be really good because that
is actually a really hard bar to meet
especially if you're new to the thing
especially if you're you know a little
bit harder on yourself than you would be
on your friends what is the bar really
for me the bar is does this have the
potential to help at least one person
and also
am I proud of it um for me being proud
of something yeah I put more work into
it often I'm more proud of it but often
being proud of something for me I I
found a way to turn it into like I am
proud of a thing if it has the potential
to help help at least one person I don't
overthink my kind of I I try not to
overthink my production value or making
sure I've got like multiple cinematic
shots or making sure that like
everything is super super tight in the
edit cuz I've tried doing that and and I
realized in in periods of my life where
I was really overthinking my content the
content was just worse and I was
enjoying it less and one of the B one of
the major principles of the book feel
good productivity is that if you can
enjoy your work you become better at it
you become more creative you become less
stressed become more productive but you
also have more energy to give to the
other important areas of your
life I was at this uh retreat thing in
San Francisco a couple weeks ago and
there's this executive coach whose name
is Joe Hudson absolute Legend um he's
featuring on the Pod shortly he is like
an executive coach to some of silicon
Valley's biggest CEOs that you will have
definitely heard of and his whole shtick
is that
enjoyment is efficiency if you can find
a way to enjoy what you're doing and
optimize for enjoyment of the process
you will actually do better work than if
you are optimizing for trying to do
better work so Andy a question I would
put to you or anyone else watching this
if you're struggling with perfectionism
is what if you weren't concerned about
the quality of the thing and your main
goal was in just enjoying the process of
creating the thing whatever the thing
might be what if you weren't concerned
about how good it was What If instead
you were only concerned with how can you
personally enjoy that process as much as
possible Dar I say what would it look
like if it were fun this is my phone
wallpaper what would this look like if
it were fun what would it look like if
it were fun you know this is this is the
whole stick what would it look like if
it were fun finding the fun is another
way of combating perfectionism and this
overthinking that we get around posting
stuff there's a few other strategies I
find helpful for dealing
with this sort of thing cuz I deal with
it a lot
the microcosm of this video that you are
now watching is a great example of
dealing with dealing with perfectionism
and and stuff the other thing I think
is the the the voice of the sabur for me
often stops me from even trying um like
before picking up this little camera to
film this video the voice of the sabur
was in my mind saying nah nah nah we
don't need to film come on like you know
it's 7:00 in the morning we should wait
until we get to the desk etc etc the
voice of the sabur was stopping me from
hitting record but once I've hit record
I've now been recording for 19 minutes
I've enjoyed myself I'm getting the
steps in it's super nice scenery it's
great Vibes and if I hadn't pressed
record I wouldn't have come I wouldn't I
wouldn't have made this video which by
definition if you are watching this then
you've found the last bit sufficiently
valuable in a bit of a it's a bit of a
Trippy thought but the voice of the
sabur was stopping me from pressing
record and so the thing that I've gotten
really good at is just telling the voice
of the sabur like I'm I'm just going to
record it and I don't need to publish it
I'm going to create the thing but I can
always decide to scrap the thing if it
sucks and that often shuts up the sabur
cuz then the sabur is like oh okay
well
fine uh but are you sure like aren't you
really tired like you've got a bit of a
zit on your nose like do you really want
to film the thing right now can't we
just wait till tomorrow oh wow look at
this it's a freaking
River this is so nice
guys is this what every random American
city is like town city Boise
Idaho the voice of the savitur is trying
to Pro it's trying to stop me from H
hitting record but if I can just
convince the voice that hey um we don't
need to publish this we're just going to
create it and see what happens then you
know it's it's hard for the sabot to
stay in sabotaging mode what I find with
a lot of YouTubers is that there's a lot
of resistance to pressing the record
button I get this as well even for
filming filming proper videos uh when
I'm sitting at my desk there a lot of
resistance to just hitting record but
once I hit record and once I start
talking then like I don't know the
creative spirit moves within me or
whatever terminology you want to use for
this now that I'm 20 minutes into the
video I kind of know in my mind oh okay
actually I think I think this might
actually be a reasonable video
reasonable just being the bar for I
think this video might potentially add
value to at least one person who's
watching
this one thing that I find when it comes
to YouTube videos is
that for more than 50% of the videos
that I've ever filmed
after filming it I have felt like uh
that was
terrible but then for about 98% of
videos once it's been edited and I've
had like a couple of weeks to not see
the video and to not be so in my head
about it um it then I then think oh
that's actually not bad
because when when we're filming videos
and when we're doing a first draft of a
book or a manuscript or a thing whatever
the thing might be when you're in the
creation of it it's a very messy process
process this process right now of
creating this video feels very messy to
me I'm sort of pulling stuff in from
different different areas of my life
from different parts of my brain and I'm
like I don't I don't really know how
it's all going to fit together but I've
done this enough times now that I trust
that from first from rough cut from
first draft from raw video recording to
finished product there is actually a
large amount of magic that happens in
post that happens in the edit where we
can chop out any ums and rs and mistakes
and sometimes we'll artfully leave the
mistakes in because the mistakes are
nice and humanizing and stuff I know
that the end product post editing is
often quite reasonable and so I've done
this enough times that when the voice of
the sabur says don't film the video it
might suck I'm like I'm going to film
the video anyway if it sucks I can
always delete it but I generally I would
if I if I were to put money on it I
would I I I would to say that this video
is a video that we're going to publish
on the main Channel probably it's
probably going to be good enough and you
know what if it's not we'll put it on
the second Channel either way this video
is going to get published somewhere on
the internet and I hope it'll add value
to at least one person that's a thought
that's in my mind mind as I'm
confronting the
sabur principal number six or seven or
whatever we are now I have even lost
count but that's okay cuz we're going to
fix it in post right editing team please
thank you um principal number whatever I
am on is a phrase I heard from Cal
Newport who is the Mega bestselling
author of The book's deep work and so
good they can't ignore you and most
recently slow productivity which is a
great book and Cal gave me some advice
about book writing a couple years ago
when I was in the throws of writing my
own book I asked him you know how how
often do you deal with perfectionism and
like how do you you know don't you think
that your work sucks uh in the sense
like don't you think it sucks in the
process of of of making it and like I
was I was having all of these thoughts
um that my book was crap and that it was
wasn't worth publishing and stuff and
Cal said to me and he's been writing for
like two decades um so about 10 times
longer than I have he said to me oh I
get that all the time I tell myself one
thing this one just needs to be
reasonable the next one is going to be
good this one just needs to be
reasonable the next one is going to be
good so when Cal was working on his
books productivity he told himself you
know what slow productivity doesn't need
to be a good book it just needs to be
reasonable the next one is going to be
good and he says he and he told me that
he repeated that thing to himself for
every book that he wrote and he's
written like six seven of them now and
is super successful at it this one just
needs to be reasonable the next one is
going to be good so Andy when it comes
to that thing that you are struggling
with that thing that you're feeling the
perfectionism the overthinking the
overanalyzing the I can't put this thing
out there what if you just lowered the
bar if you said this one just needs to
be reasonable and reasonable again you
can Define as it just needs to have the
potential to help at least one person
that's reasonable this video I think
this is going to be a reasonable video I
don't think it's going to be a good
video because I don't like thinking of
my videos as good but that's fine it
just needs to be reasonable the goal is
not to make a good video the goal is to
add value to someone else's life which
leads me to the next point which maybe
the final point which is that I think a
lot of perfectionism um stems from sort
of a focus on the self and a focus on
one's own ego that I can't possibly put
this thing out there because if I put
this thing out there then people will
think of me as bad in some way um
because the thing might be bad or
whatever it's not usually from speaking
to people and from hearing it myself
that it's not usually this thing would
be completely useless to everyone who's
watching it it's not usually that
because because usually that's an easy
one to to eliminate like really it's
going to be completely useless so people
will watch it they'll sit through it and
they will find it 100% of people are
going to find it completely an UT
useless to the point they're going to
get zero shred of value from it that
seems a bit unlikely usually we're not
actually being perfectionistic because
we care about the audience so much
because we really value their time like
oh my goodness I'm so perfectionistic
about my PhD dissertation because I
value the time of my examiner and I
don't want to be mean to them in
creating a shitty product it's like it's
usually not that it's usually I don't
want this thing to go out there because
I am afraid I will be thought of as bad
for having put this thing out there
which does not meet some arbitrary
standard
and usually we find that our own
standards for oursel are like
ridiculously high and often excessively
high and often unhelpfully high it's
it's it's a focus on the self and at
least for me what I found as a way of
combating perfectionism is to remove the
focus from myself and put it on someone
else again just this idea of I'm I'm not
creating this video for myself you know
I can I can do other things for fun if I
were trying to have fun I'd be watching
YouTube videos I'd be watching finishing
the last of us the TV show I'd be I
don't know playing on my nintend
Nintendo switch that's what I do for fun
I am not doing this video for me I'm
doing this video because I think it
potentially has the potential
potentially has the potential to help at
least one person it is about the other
person that I could potentially help
with this video it doesn't matter if the
thing is not perfect um you can just ask
yourself like have you ever gotten value
from a YouTube video that the that the
Creator might have thought is not
perfect probably maybe if you're
watching this Andy or whoever you are
watching this this is not a perfect
YouTube video this is not the sort of
YouTube video a YouTube guru I.E me
would tell people that oh yeah you
should make this video to grow your
channel but the fact you're here and
watching this means that you have found
enough value from this video to continue
watching it which is very gratifying so
thank you for being here so far so Andy
again it just comes down to this thing
when you're being perfectionistic about
your YouTube videos I suspect if you're
anything like me it's because uh you
don't want your ego to be bruised from
the thought that God forbid you might
put something out there but you might
put out something there that uh is
that's not meeting some arbitrary
Quality Bar that you've created for
yourself in your own mind but if you
were to remove that Focus From the self
and think about it from the context of
the people that you're serving because
this is an act of service making a
YouTube video it's not an act of
selfishness it's an act of service and
when you do anything in the spirit of
service that is also one of the things
that stops the voice of the sabur from
um creating these like perfectionistic
narratives that eventually that end up
leading to lives that we don't
particularly enjoy anyway one of the
things about being a YouTuber one of the
things about doing any creative act is
that there is a balancing act between
the soul and the numbers or the sto or
or the or the soul and the
statistics and often Soul comes from
being under optimized in in how you do
things I hope that when this video comes
out and when I see the edited version it
will feel like a Soulful video it'll be
like oh this was merely oi talking from
the heart going for a walk and sharing
stuff that he's found useful that's nice
this video is not going to go viral
right the goal of this video is not to
try and get get 5 million views the goal
of this video as I've said repeatedly is
simply to potentially provide value to
at least one person who's watching it
and so as I was thinking about huh what
should my end screen sales pitch be for
this particular video because that's
what you should do as a YouTuber I'm
like you know what actually I can let go
of that I can let go of that need for
the statistics you know obviously we'll
still title and thumbnail this video in
a reasonable way and we'll do like a bit
of a hook at the start and stuff like
fine there are sensible things we can do
to increase the reach of this video
because then it helps more people and
framing it framing it in that sense
helps me feel less icky about doing like
algorithm hacky type stuff retention
hacking and like trying to keep people
interested in the video um so if you are
here at the end of this ridiculously
long video you are the sort of person
that I would probably Vibe with because
we probably have good things to talk
about but I'd love to hear in a comment
down below what is one thing you're
struggling with cuz I love making these
sorts of videos where I'm just sort of
speaking from the heart and sharing
stuff that I found useful and often a
lot of the struggles of you guys um are
things that I've been through various
stages of my life and still probably go
through today and so I like being able
to share from the heart and just
chatting about things that might
potentially as I said help at least one
person so what is something that you are
struggling with that you might like my
take on if you can leave that as a in in
in a comment as a question that would be
super helpful um also if you would like
to submit a video question in the same
way that Andy did we'll put a link to
that video submission thingy I want to
do more content like this where it's
just really fun for me to be able to
answer someone's question directly and
turn it into like a freaking 35 minute
long sermon um it's just fun you know
what would this look like if it were fun
I asked myself this question about my
YouTube channel a lot and one of the
things I've landed on is oh well if it
were fun I'd be answering questions from
the audience I wouldn't just be coming
up with a video topic and then deciding
to make videos about it I would be like
yeah answering a question from the
audience so that I can feel that there's
genuinely someone on the other end
because it's otherwise it's hard to
appreciate like the numbers and what
that means um in terms of there being
real life people on the other end and
now because we might as well do the
retention thing uh if you have not yet
seen my video my honest advice for
someone wanting Financial Freedom you
might like to check out that video over
there otherwise thank you very much for
watching and hopefully you got some
value out of this and I'll see you in
the next one bye-bye
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