How This Pandemic Helped Me Follow My Dream
A story that everybody needs to know
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Phase 1: It all started in spring 2017 when I made my first YouTube channel, I was a University student at that time, and therefore I did not use get much time to make videos. At first, I posted a few songs from famous music labels to see how it works. Out of 3 videos, one music video performed very well. After a while, I decided to take down all the songs and start producing original content. There was also a reason why I stopped posting other’s content: I got a copyright strike on those music videos and because of that, my channel got banned for a month.
So, the first thing that I learned so far that never upload stolen content on your channel, otherwise, it would stop at any time, and you would lose everything.
Phase 2
I changed the channel name to ‘Tech Tricks’ and started posting videos on different hacks related to the technology. My first video was on ‘How to see hidden photos of someone on Facebook’; the audio quality of the video was very bad and therefore it brought some hate from the viewers. Along with the hate, there was some appreciation too, which resulted in enticing a large number of views on the channel. Video has received 21 thousand plus views so far and it is still performing at the top.
So, the second lesson that I learned that there might be some negative feedback on your videos but you have to keep creating and refining your content.
Phase 3
I kept on posting videos, but due to studies, I did not use to upload consistently. I was still committed to my channel and wanted to make something big out of it. Unfortunately a year after the start of the channel I decided to quit due to an unforeseen announcement by YouTube.
Achieving 4000 hours watch time and 1000 subscribers’ threshold in one year was impractical for me. After this, my channel needed full attention, but I could not put the required effort into it due to other commitments. I had two options, either I concentrate on my studies or leave it for my dream and work on the growth of my YouTube channel.
I decided to complete my graduation first and then do anything else. It was not easy to choose not to pursue it, even though it was temporary and I promised myself that I will get back to it with full focus once I get done with my degree. The worries of losing my chance kept coming to my mind, I was afraid that I might not get this opportunity later in my life.
Famous American Inspirational Author H. Jackson Brown, Jr. says,
“Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.”
Sometimes you have to prioritize one thing over the other. Both the studies and my goals were equally important to me but I had to choose one, and I also did not want to regret that decision later.
Another quotation I read somewhere by an American writer Jane Wagner, says,
“Don’t be afraid of missing opportunities. Behind every failure is an opportunity somebody wishes they had missed.”
Leaving my studies and taking the other path to pursue my YouTube channel was full of risk, therefore I chose the safe side.
Phase 4
I finally graduated in summer’19, but instead of returning towards my dream, life had other plans for me. I found doing a 9 to 5 job more important than pursuing my career in content creation. I got a chance to work on a news publishing website as a News Analyst. I do not regret doing that job because that helped me discover my passion for writing. That experience helped me polish my writing skills. I left that job just after 3 months because I wanted to write on the topics I like without boundaries or deadlines.
Everything was going smoothly, as usual, I was thinking to relaunch my YouTube channel. But at the same time, I had this tension of getting admission for postgraduate. I started preparing for the entry test therefore I could not give enough time to my channel. You know there is always an excuse for avoiding risk; I kept on keeping myself busy with other stuff, I just did not have the courage to take that big step.
The Current Phase
Suddenly this pandemic hits and we all get locked up in our houses, no school, no college, and no work, everything was closed, all we got was free minds trying to figure out the situation. While everyone was busy enjoying their vacations, I ended up reviving my YouTube channel. This time it was different, I knew that I have a long road ahead and I have to be committed to this because without consistency it will all be a waste.
I did put all my fear aside and started working on this by putting everything at stake. I certainly knew that this time I have to be successful, there will be hurdles or setbacks but I should be focusing on consistency. It’s been three months and the channel has shown very positive growth. Unlike the last time, the content is better; the audience likes it and appreciates the hard work. Progress is impressive and encouraging as I got a 400 percent increase in views so far, and it is continuously rising as time passes.
I believe that I got lucky that this pandemic came at this time and I utilized it very perfectly. Everything has its time when it is supposed to be done, we all get at least one chance to achieve our dreams, it is all in our hands that how we recognize it and seize the opportunity.
Sometimes you just need to go with the flow, it is a matter of time when everything starts turning in your favor, but first, all you need is a Kickstart. I have the faith that It might take time but eventually, I will reach my destination.
