How to Start a Youtube Channel in 2023
The sound of a toilet flushing—it was the noise I endured for several hours as I suffered the aftermath of consuming Chicago deep-dish pizza. The smell of vomit permeated the room, leaving me with only one thought: the excessive time I spent on YouTube, a website I often deemed a soul-draining abyss.
Over the past decade, I relentlessly pursued success in various forms, yet it eluded me. Now in my late twenties, an existential crisis weighed heavily upon me. My recent week in Chicago led to a profound reevaluation of success, challenging the prevalent misconceptions surrounding the term. I share my thoughts, hoping to spare fellow artists, entrepreneurs, and dreamers from similar pitfalls, urging them to safeguard the invaluable resource of time.
Primarily, I've learned that success is often depicted in a chronological order. Insights gleaned from psychology have elucidated the significance of organizing past events into narratives that define my self-concept, especially during challenging times. I was handed a linear narrative, often referred to as the American dream: go to school, attend college, purchase a house, and marry—all before turning thirty. This simplistic formula for success was the common creed, but the plot thickened, the path twisted, and the external world transformed.
My thoughts wander as I recall the moment I shelled out $26 for an acai bowl and smoothie. Not reaching certain milestones filled me with disappointment, as it didn't align with the prescribed storyline. Linearity, I realize, provides no guarantees in this timeline; however, it offers an opportunity to redefine success without the constraints of monetary wealth.
I emphasize that money is no longer my primary yardstick for success, having realized its infinite nature. Despite investing countless hours, adhering to a packed schedule, and seizing every opportunity, it has not materialized as I had hoped. The relentless pursuit of an elusive financial ideal left me breathless, akin to chasing an infinite cosmic entity, a pursuit better suited for the cosmos itself.
Lastly, I address the inadequacy of metrics in measuring success, particularly within the realm of YouTube. I recount how I expended considerable time and resources on YouTube courses that emphasized the importance of SEO, titles, and thumbnails. I meticulously followed the strategies, occasionally witnessing modest growth in numbers. However, I recognize the insatiable desire for exponential growth in metrics, which often led to exhaustion.
Initially, my foray into YouTube was about sharing my interests, not building a business. Gradually, it morphed into a business endeavor, contrary to my initial intentions. My passion has always been rooted in the craft, and the solution to my predicament lay in reminding myself of my childhood aversion to mathematics. Numbers were the bane of my existence.
With these realizations, I begin to feel the weight lifting from my shoulders. I question what I truly desire and how to attain it. Full creative freedom stands at the forefront of my aspirations. As an artist and dreamer, I've always been advised never to quit and to believe in my pursuits. However, I find wisdom in Phil Knight's perspective, ”Sometimes you have to give up. Sometimes knowing when to give up, when to try something else, is genius. Giving up doesn't mean stopping. Don't ever stop.”
Contemplating the word 'niche,' I conclude that nothing is more creatively stifling than adhering to a restrictive framework. Recognizing when to deviate from the beaten path holds equal importance. Embracing my unique perspective on the world, rather than conforming to convention, could lead to the greatest happiness.
Despite the tumultuous relationship I have with my creative endeavors, the highs I experience when I finally crack the code are unparalleled. It is a deeply spiritual and fundamental journey, a pursuit I wouldn't trade for anything else.
I hope you'll stick with me as my interests change on a week-to-week basis. The world is so vast and expansive, and there's just so little time to even make a dent in it. When I do feel caught up by that beauty, I hope that I can share it with you guys. I hope that my mention of the prefrontal lobe cortex will one day inspire someone to learn more about themselves.
There's been a lot of talk about time, and if there's a term I can coin, it's 'time billionaire.' This is the ultimate form of freedom, where no one tells you what to do, and you can be wherever you want to be. Money can be replaced at any moment; time is impossible to give back. I've wasted so much of my early 20s doing things that I dislike, so my ultimate goal now is to do the things that bring me joy, prosperity, and feel like they have meaning to them. My goal is to be a time billionaire and really go wherever my artistic faith calls me.
I know there's that word 'faith,' and it's often associated with religion, but you can think about it as the Muse or the laws of physics. I don't think there's a bigger calling than at this time when we can build small empires without anybody's permission. The rules of the past are crumbling, and new ones are being made up, all with the curtain being pulled back only to realize that these rules were made up by people no smarter than us. I just want to follow this little bit of faith because nothing weighs on a person more than regret. And those are my thoughts and my opinions.
I hope that you enjoyed this, and that you'll follow me on this new path that I'm creating for myself, this new creative way. As always, my name is Isaac, and thank you so much for your time and your attention. I'll catch you in the next one.
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