Creating videos that have impact, growing your audience, and making work you are proud of is a challenging endeavor. Starting can be a challenge and following through can be even harder. It's easy to feel that you are the last to the game, that everyone else is too far ahead. You may be thinking that if only you had the chance to get an earlier start then you would be able to make your projects happen and get your work out there.
I want to challenge you that this is not the case. I heard a saying once that resonated with me: The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago, the next best time is today. I want to challenge you that the best time to start creating your next project, the best time to start putting yourself out there, is now.
Every single person who creates started somewhere. They most likely started at zero. They started at square one. If that's where you feel you are, don't let it discourage you from starting, let it be motivation that you are in the best position to start.
Who do you look up to?
Who's work do you admire and wish one day you could be creating and having the impact that they are having. It can be so challenging to see which step to take next in order to get to where they are. That's because there is no single step one can take to get to where they are. They didn't take a single step, and neither will you.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of steps between beginning and becoming an established expert.
This is actually really good news. This means that we can make mistakes as we go and course correct along the way. We don't have to take one strategic massive step; the formula for progress is to take daily consistent steps, even when it is hard. My goal is to help ordinary people in their pursuit of extraordinary results. I love helping others grow and succeed. That is why today is such a big day for me.
Today is an Important Milestone
It's a big one for me. I have been working on building my email list since March earlier this year, and today I am stoked to share that the Leftcoast Collective has grown to 100 members.
"But Levi, my grandma has more instagram followers than that."
This is a huge deal because those that are apart of the Collective are real life people. They feel more like individual people than any other social network statistic. I don't care so much about numbers, I care about connecting with real people. You are a real person reading this, and 100 people like you have chosen to let me in their inbox. I do not take that lightly.
I will never have 100 members on the collective ever again. Even later today this number will push over 100 and I will have 101. In a way I feel like a parent who is mourning the inevitable reality that their child will one day grow older. I want to cherish the opportunity I have right now to help those who are already aware of my work. The goal for me is not bigger numbers, it is greater value given to more people.
It was January this year when I was sitting at my desk trying to figure out what I could possibly start writing about. The idea of building a website was a mountain before me that seemed unsurmountable and I couldn't think of where to even begin. You want to know how I started? I just took the first step. One step. For me that was registering a domain. Yet I couldn't stop there. There have been many steps in between then and now, yet I still feel as though I am just getting started. I want to take a moment and share some of my goals for how I want Leftcoast to continue to grow.
Where are Things Going?
The short story, create a lot more stuff.
1) Show Up More Often - This is the biggest one. Consistency is challenging and I want to make it a higher priority to be creating useful and helpful material every single week.
2) Create More Specific Tutorials - This is something that I feel I can be doing to create videos and posts that are far more helpful. Creating content that specifically teaches a certain skill.
3) Help those Who Want to Learn, and Share With Those Who Just Want to Follow the Story - This is something I have been wrestling with how to go about. There are some of you that are aspiring video creators that want to learn skills on how to create better videos. There are others that just want to follow the progress of some of my films, receive the Vlogs and hear behind the scenes stories of what I have been creating. I want to find a way to deliver the best I can to these two groups of people.
I am really excited for the next leg of this journey. I am seriously so grateful. This journey for me has been challenging, it's hard to create regularly. I want to encourage you in the pursuit of what you love. What is preventing you from starting? What next step do you need to take that you are over thinking? I believe in you, you can do this.
Written by: Levi Allen VanderKwaak
