What’s Actually Stopping You?

If not having a $150 microphone is stopping you from starting a podcast, there might be something else causing you to procrastinate.  

If not having a $2000 Sony camera is stopping you from making videos, there might be something deeper you’ll still have to overcome after you get the camera.

If not having a nice office and desk is stopping you from writing a book, there’s probably a deeper fear within you that you’re just blaming on the desk you don’t have.

The fact is, you have all the tools you need to write a book, record a podcast, and create a film. They’re on your phone. Digital media is cheaper than ever to create and publish, and connecting with people who want to hear your perspective is easier than ever.

So what’s actually stopping you?

If you want to start that podcast to be famous, (first of all good luck), procrastination creeps in. That’s a lofty goal. But if you’re creating a podcast to bring real value to a community, then you’ll utilize all the tools you already have to do so. If you’re creating your work to become cool and famous, then high-quality audio and professional branding is pretty important. People might call you a poser. But if you’re creating to benefit others, then you’ll realize that 90% of the value of your ideas is translated by just posting it, regardless of how crispy the audio sounds.

So get started.

If you record your first 10 podcasts using the voice memos app on your phone, you’ll make a heap of necessary of mistakes. In the process you’ll learn a lot and make your investment in a microphone worth so much more down the road. If you maximize your current tools by filming on your phone and editing on your computer’s built-in video editor, you’ll be able to take more sophisticated gear so much further.

Any new endeavor has its dog days, its “junior high awkward phase.” So why should you spend a lot of money before getting through that time?

Create for others, not for yourself. Focus on bringing real value to your community as soon as possible. And if there’s still a little part of you that wants to be cool and famous from your work (I do too), then you’ll realize the best way to achieve that is by bringing real value to a community as fast as possible.