Two years ago I posted a video on my YouTube channel 365 Days of Public Speaking announcing that I would resume posting regular content on the channel. I failed. Since that video announcement, I have not posted even a single video to the channel. That’s not good. I remember being excited about the process at the time I was posting the video, and in this post, I want to look back at what happened, why I did fail and what the lesson is.
I was going through a transitional period in my professional and family life at the time, and resuming production and publishing content to the channel was a way for me to soothe myself from the pain of that growth process. When the pain subsided, I abandoned the project. I made a decision, made an announcement about it, but there was no follow-through because there was no commitment.
Commitment is an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action. Until I become committed to the project, there won’t be any process. What will it take to re-commit myself to the project? Appreciating the fact that “One is Greater Than Zero,” and nothing beats discipline and consistency. I got a bit discouraged when I saw weekly views were dropping on my channel, and that was discouraging. I lost my enthusiasm and drive based on external feedback in terms of numbers, even though those numbers were not a reflection of my performance on camera. I was doing zero marketing of my channel, and everything was organic.
One percent improvement every single day equals 365% growth in one year. That’s something to remember when you strive for growth. What I can differently is make a commitment, define internal success criteria, and take action daily remembering that One is Greater Than Zero. Doing the smallest thing that moves you forward will always beat doing nothing and hoping for a positive change.