Betting on Myself

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First things first, I’m NOT leaving my job. Not a chance. I’m letting go of a bunch of sites and channels and projects (and an LLC I built as a side hustle)… and it feels great!

Bear with me for a minute. I’m trying to decide on something and you’re part of the plan.

This isn’t going to be a post about leadership or education or design.

This is me getting some thoughts down on “paper” instead of keeping them in my head.

What does betting on myself mean in this instance? Great question.

Short answer: I’m not 100% sure.

Here’s what I know:

  1. I have always loved working and like many other people, spend a lot more hours than I probably should in work mode. However, it has always paid off in the end (or at least I think it has), so I’m not knocking it.
  2. I take to heart the ideal that what you create at a job ultimately belongs to the company you create it for.
  3. I enjoy creating and I’ve got practice at coming up with sustainable processes for it. I spend less than an hour a week on my YouTube and podcast content and I’ve created over 70 episodes and done another 60 or 70 short interviews in the last two years.
  4. I’m not generally emotionally tied to my creations If you told me I had to delete my YouTube channel tomorrow, I wouldn’t be crushed. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t work hard on it or that I’m not proud.
  5. I have boatloads of content released in the wild and even more that’s never seen the light of day.
  6. I do not have the ability or desire to totally go out on my own. Or maybe we all have the ability but I just don’t have the desire.
  7. Stability, relationships, and community gained from a place of regular employment are my jam.
  8. Professionally, I’m happy. I’m in a role that I helped build from the ground up and have support to continue to iterate on the vision.
  9. I like growing and mentoring others- I find it feeds my own growth as well.

So what would it mean to bet on myself?

  1. Create a separate channel for my own content.
  2. Deeply integrate the channel, my blog content, and my social media pages. Use all of this to “try out” content that would eventually become part of one of the few book ideas I’ve got in the works.
  3. Spend a little more time each week on my own content and development.
  4. Spend a little less time “outside of work” on work and be content with what that means for the regular gig.
  5. I need to become much more focused on setting and achieving goals and become a better steward of my time.

The Big Question

Should I bet on myself?

Additional Big Question

If not now… when?