Just Record Videos on your Phone and Start Posting Them...

If you clicked on this headline, chances are your mind is already open to the idea of creating content.

You are vaguely aware of what the 'creator economy' is and see that people are making money, building businesses, creating movements, and designing cool lifestyles through content.

But it's about time you stop avoiding the inevitable and gain some clarity as to how powerful this tool really is.

In this article, I want to do 2 things:

1. Give you 2 irrefutable arguments as to why content creation is the most critical skill you can develop in the 21st century to not only catapult your professional career and financial success; but, also why it's the best tool for your personal development and mental health.
2. Share some practical advice on how to stop self-sabotaging and actually make this work for you. (Based on my direct experience embarking on this journey one year ago, and it completely changing my life!)

What is 'Content'?

Let's start simple just because some of you reading this might feel resistance towards the word 'content' due to overexposure to dim-witted creators who have amassed monumental following counts and wealth despite their lack of substance.

Content = structured information.

That's all it is.

When you put together a presentation or paper for school, that's content.

When you articulate a coherent argument, that's content.

When you pull out your phone to capture the fleeting emotions of a moment, that's content.

It's all just structured information.

We are all creating it and consuming it every single day.

Now, I believe that we all have a unique gift and our highest purpose in life is to express that unique gift in a way that serves others.

You might have a particular interest or expertise in an academic discipline, a passion for connecting with people and building communities, a keen eye for design, an artistic soul, or a rational mind that loves to dissect things at first principles.

This unique gift is valuable, and it's the root of your professional success, the spark of your creative inspiration, and the key to connecting with like-minded people and building great relationships.

But, regardless of what your unique gift is, the point is that we all have it and chances are you are consuming and creating content related to it already.

The difference is that some people choose to put their value online, opening themselves up to global opportunities; while most choose to restrict themselves to sharing their content locally and thus massively handicap the potential reach and impact of their unique gift.

To those of you with resistance to putting your face online, ignore the title.

Content doesn't have to be videos, it can be whatever you want it to be. Writing, audio, art, multi-media presentations, etc. Don't let that be your excuse.

Argument 1: Professional Development

Employers hire based on your social media. Creators hire based on your social media. Brands hire based on your social media. Clients hire based on your social media. Customers buy based on your social media. Social media is a necessity of modern life. It is virtual reality. It is a digital society. It is the new economy.

— Dan Koe

Look at the world around you...

At this rate of technological advancement and artificial intelligence, new 'jobs', careers, gaps of knowledge, and opportunities are being created and filled by the hour.

Without a public resume, you close yourself off to global opportunities.

Most people still perceive social media as an "app on their phone.", yet they spend a much-too-large portion of their life on it. Scrolling away rather than building their future.

Consuming rather than creating.

Once you see social media for what it is, a new world opens up.

Skills to be learned that schools can't teach you.

Friends to be made that can't be found locally.

Money to be earned that isn't capped by a salary.

Welcome to the Digital Renaissance.

It's time you take advantage of it.

My first business, a marketing agency that sold FB ads to gym owners, failed because I lacked the WHY and creative inspiration to see it through.

But after that setback, I began to see the bigger picture.

I began to understand everything I am sharing with you now and started posting videos I filmed with my iPhone 11 and edited in Capcut, a free software.

In just 7 months I grew to 4,000 subscribers, but even cooler than that, I received hundreds of encouraging messages and comments from people who resonated with the things I was sharing.

If you know how business works, you know that money flows where attention goes.

So this was really encouraging as I know that in due time, the growth of my personal brand will be the foundation for the launch of any business idea I have, allowing me serve the members of my community.

In the past year, I've had fellow entrepreneurs reach out to me, and began to connect with these like-minded people based in Milan, London, Brisbane, LA, and so forth.

These could of course be future business opportunities, or simply cool friends that I can connect with when travelling to these cities.

I also began to receive messages from people who wanted to work with me and gained enough clients to be able to quit my job as a personal trainer.

Now, I can dedicate all my time to simply creating content, completing my university degree, and working with these clients to pay my bills.

I'm not 'balling out of control' by any means, nor are these results THAT impressive, so this is by no means a subtle brag.

I just share this with you to plant a seed.

This kind of stuff, and much more, is possible and we are still early!

Argument 2: Personal Development

This insight is far more surprising and it's only been revealed to me after months of doing this.

Content creation has been one of the best tools for my personal development, and I've experienced more growth from developing this practice than anything else I've ever tried (aside from meditation... meditation rocks).

There's a couple of reasons for this:

1. Daily Writing Habit

As I said earlier, all content is simply structured information.

So regardless of whether you are trying to record podcasts, make videos, write long-form articles, or punchy tweets.

The basis of all content is writing, and to get better at this craft I practice every day.

Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard. — David McCullough.

Have you ever had the experience of feeling confident in your knowledge about a specific topic or held a strong conviction regarding a specific belief, but as soon as you begin to speak about it to someone, your ideas come out a jumbled mess and you realize you aren't as smart as you thought you were.

I have.

But writing is the antidote!

Writing helps you organize your thoughts, and like Einstein famously said:

Further, a self-imposed sense of pressure to create content and share meaningful work has exploded my capacity to learn.

I've read more books in the last month than I had read in my entire life prior to sharing stuff online.

2. Social Contracts

Putting yourself "out there" on the internet is f*cking scary.

There's no getting around it.

You are opening yourself up to global criticism and potential ridicule.

No matter how confident you are or how much you tell yourself you don't care about others' opinions of you...

You care.

We all do, and that's ok.

We are social animals and being accepted by the tribe is built into our psyche and our biology. We all crave a sense of belonging and respect.

So instead of letting this sabotage your potential and keep you from sharing your unique gift with the world, we can learn to leverage it to our advantage.

When you share the projects you are working on, your failures, lessons, beliefs and values (i.e your 'content') ... you've now created a digital character.

A new sense of self which you now have to live up to!

You can choose to perceive this as scary and debilitating, or see it as an opportunity for growth.

What you are doing is creating a social contract for people to hold you accountable to this character you wish to embody.

You don't want people to think "here's another idiot trying to be an iNfloOEnceUr". You don't want to fail in public. That would be public ridicule and nobody wants that!

So instead you can use this as fuel to help you keep making decisions in alignment with your ideal future and slowly become this character.

One of the most highlighted lines on Kindle of all time, is James Clear's quote:

I love this and aggree wholeheartedly.

The cool thing about creating content and a 'digital character', is that you now have an audience of people holding you accountable to it.

If you tell yourself "I am going to quit smoking"; "I am going to get in the best shape of my life"; "I am going to begin prioritizing my family and friends".

But no one is there to hold you accountable, then there is no risk.

The internet is the ultimate accountability partner.

3. An Unrivalled Matchmaking Tool

I alluded to this earlier when I shared the hundreds of people reaching out to me to connect, or the like-minded entrepreneurs who I've become friends with as a result of creating content.

But, I want to reiterate this point, as the internet and content creation is honestly the best thing out there for finding amazing friendships, business opportunities, and even romantic partners.

When you create content and share your unique gift authentically (this is key), you are essentially pulling your pants down in front of the world and saying "here's me".

When you genuinely share your values, beliefs, passions, and aspirations. You create space for others to do the same, and open the door for others to reach out and make meaningful connections.

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

— Marianne Williamson

Since I began doing this, not only have I gained clients for my business and made connections with like-minded individuals around the world.

I've also been able to connect deeper with those people in my local circle and become friends with people I knew from highschool and had a feeling we'd make great friends but never got to build a relationship with them at the time.

Tips for Making this Work

I'll keep this segment short as I have a lot to share when it comes to this topic and will be launching The Digital Alchemist Social Club later this year for people to connect and share this kind of thing at length.

But for now, I'll leave you with two very important notes:

Authenticity

All of these great benefits are contingent on this point. It's a simple and often regurgitated piece of advice, but it's incredibly difficult in practice and it's importance cannot be overstated.

You need to share authentically.

Raw and unapologetically true to yourself, your interests, and creative vision.

A piece of wisdom from Naval Ravikant, a philosopher, investor, and by all means a true "Tech Lord":

“You can escape competition through authenticity, when you realize that no one can compete with you on being you.

That would have been useless advice pre-internet. Post-internet, you can turn that into a career.”
https://t.co/WycnyNyB9k

— Naval (@naval) March 21, 2019

If you decide to start playing this game, you'll quickly find yourself frustrated at your lack of progress, looking for ways to grow faster, and running from trend to trend like a headless chicken.

If you find yourself feeling pressure to do something that is 'hot' right now, chances are so are thousands of others.

Catch yourself, look inward, and listen to yourself.

“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”

― Friedrich Nietzsche

Sonder

"The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk."

— The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, John Koenig

People are far less interested in your life than you think they are.

We are all the main characters in our own story, and NPCs in the lives of others.

You're going to die, I am going to die. No one will think about you 6 months later.

This is grim, but true.

The pain of inaction is far more painful, than the pain of incorrect action.

So honor your gift. Create. Put yourself out there. The world needs your gift, as much as the quality of your life depends on you expressing it.

I hope this serves you.

— Mikey 🧙🏼‍♂️