Embrace The Cringe
This weekend, my wife and I were watching YouTube together when she asked what was up with my channel.
As I clicked down, an old playlist of mine called #LOUSPEAKSTRUTH popped up. I called it LST for short.
This was from 2016, when I started to get public on social media. I had the hutzpah to say that watching my videos would be akin to "Dropping LST" and open you to the truth.
I know, I know. It's bad.
I even paid someone $5 on Fiverr to create an intro video.
To my wife's disdain, I had to watch one. I chose the first upload I recorded with my phone suctioned to the window in my 400ft San Diego apartment.
In it, I'm yelling at the camera, tensing my neck muscles, and pausing awkwardly.
It's cringey AF.
Yet when I watch, I have so much love for that Lou.
He was bold, he was brash, and although he cared about what others thought, he had the courage to start.
That, above all else, has led me to where I'm at today.
Whenever we start something new, we're gnna suck compared to what we could be.
We're going to look back in a decade and be like what the heck were we thinking?
That is how it is for everyone.
If I hadn't started in 2016, I wouldn't be as comfortable on video as I am now.
Whatever new skill, platform, or medium you embark on—Embrace The Cringe.
Let yourself suck. Ship imperfect work. Make it a goal to look back in 10 years and be aghast at what you see.
If you get only 1% better every time, you will be blown away by how much you grow.
If you want to see how cringey that video is, here ya go. (I would take that SoCal tan and man-bun back in a heartbeat tho.)
What new area are you embarking on?
Where have you noticed your skills develop over the years?
Feel free to email me with what this stirred up. I love hearing from you!