How starting a podcast boosted my confidence
Quick lessons on why you should start taking action
In 2018, my wife bought me a podcasting starter kit for Father’s Day. I figured she was tired of hearing me talking about starting one and equipped me with the tools to get started.
She is forever the real MVP.
But it took me 7 months to actually publish my first episode. I recorded a bunch to test the tech. Sent a few test episodes to a few friends to get their feedback. I also did a bunch of research on what makes a great podcast. All that time, I was stalling because I was too afraid of failing or being embarrassed.
It wasn't until I was not selected for a promotion at the day job that lit a fire for me to hit publish. Not being selected made me realize that I needed a vehicle to improve my communication skills and develop my side hustle so that I can work any type of profession I choose.
So I picked a name, On The Mic W/ Ray White. Then I picked a structure with a loose theme of sharing life lessons, encouraging self-reflection, and equipping listeners to take action. Finally, I found a background beat that would mix into the episode.
Then BOOM! That’s when my first episode, From Failure to Achievement, was produced and published.
It took me HOURS to produce that episode because of all the stutters, ums, and ahhs that I edited out.
I hit publish anyway. The time for stalling was over.
At that time, I was determined to keep going. “The goal is to get to 10 episodes,” I told myself. Once I achieved that, the new goal was to find a rhythm. Then it was to develop a recording schedule.
Soon I was trying to figure out how to add new background music to my intros, the best way to find great sound bites and promote on social media through video.
And some of those early videos were not great….
Then I knew I wanted to interview people, so I asked (read: begged) friends to just have a conversation with me on the mic. It gave me the opportunity to practice interviewing others and pulling out key lessons from their stories.
Fast forward to 2021. Now I am up to 80 episodes, over 10 guests, increased my speaking skills to get booked for opportunities, received positive encouragement from my community, and steadily perfecting my craft towards telling a story. I even started to expand my brand to market my speaking, coaching services, and products. More importantly, I have been able to help others with their podcasting journey, either through coaching, editing, or encouragement.
BTW, those videos got slightly better with editing (at least I think), thanks to Adobe Premiere Pro!
The ups and downs over the last couple of years have been worth it. I have grown tremendously personally by just focusing on improving my creative craft.
When I think back to that time I sat in my car after not receiving that promotion, I realized that I needed to form some new avenues that expressed my creativity. I did not think that it would grow into a platform that has inspired others to use their voice to speak to their passions. I did not think that it would lead to greater confidence to navigate any unknown of life while encouraging others to do the same.
But why am I telling you this? Well for two reasons:
Reason 1: Back into writing
I am shifting this perspective to my confidence in writing. I have always felt as if I was a poor writer (and I probably still am). However, I am taking the pressure off myself in trying to be a perfect writer in every post towards a progressive writer by showing up frequently to the keyboard. Based on previous experiences, showing up regularly improves your skill sets and increases your confidence tremendously. So, here I am.
Reason 2: Encouraging you to keep going!
I want to encourage you to keep going with the creative outlets you want to pursue. And when you do so, make sure you start with one element of the process to build momentum. It can easily be overwhelming to think that you have to have all the pieces figured out on the journey. I definitely did when I started with podcasting. So break it down to the most important factor of the process and get consistent with that.
For example, If you are a writer, find a keyboard, pen and paper, even a whiteboard, and start jotting ideas. If you want to speak, open up the camera app on your phone and hit record. If you are playing wide receiver for a football team, start with your footwork and ability to catch the ball (I cheated there… your technique is foundational toward being a great wide receiver. That, as well as knowing the plays and being a great team member… We can talk about that in a different post…)
Be willing to not be perfect. Be willing to show up. Be willing to grow into the craft.
But you have to want to do it and stay consistent in the process.
You won’t know what you can accomplish until you start taking action.
So here’s to the evolution of our creative journeys! I hope that you share with me the journey you are on and what you have learned along the way.
If you are brave, comment below on what craft you are committed to developing and where you are in the process! It would be great to encourage each other along the way!
Keep sharing your story with others,
Ray
