Can you be awkward and grow your audience? I mean authentically awkward – not just for the camera?
I want to share something with you that has recently opened my eyes as to why it’s so important to let those deeply engrained perfectionist tendencies go!
It came from an unlikely place and has to do with a YouTuber and a challenge.
On our recent vacation, my 14-year old got me hooked on 23-year old YouTuber, Ryan Trahan, who created a 30-Day penny challenge for himself to raise $100,000 for the charity Feeding America. The challenge was to travel from Los Angeles to North Carolina using only profits he received from a penny.
It quickly became a sensation and at last count he had raised over 1.4 Million dollars for Feeding America, which equates to 14 million meals! (They donate approximately 10 meals for every $1).
We were watching his daily videos while we were in Croatia and it quickly became a fun, nightly routine to end our beachy days.
Not only because it was inspiring to see one person making such a BIG impact, but also because of who Ryan is… he can be so awkward!
Those awkward moments!
When we first started watching, I told my son that he seemed so uncomfortable that I didn’t know if I could even watch any more videos. He drops the camera, forgets the camera and has to come back for it, has the phone recording right up to his face while he’s eating, messes up his words, and his being uncomfortable was making me uncomfortable.
But I couldn’t help but think of the juxtaposition between myself on vacation and what he was doing. While we were taking vacation pics, pretty much every single picture I took of myself I was overly critical.
Did I look too tired? Were my eyes looking small with the glare of the sun in them? Did my face look too big when I attempted selfies and I was in front? Did I look fat despite how hard I’d been working out these past 7 months?
And here he was, in the same white tank top and black shorts day after day, mostly unshowered because he didn’t have money to shower anywhere, being awkwardly uncomfortable as millions of viewers were watching, subscribing, and donating to a good cause.
The Shift…
And you know what happened?
Over the course of a few videos, his awkwardness quickly became my favorite thing about him. I found him endearing. I found myself wanting to keep watching and see if he could complete his challenge. I couldn’t help laughing as his phone slipped out of his hands, as he tried new poses to demonstrate the rules of the challenge, as he forgot his words or mixed them up, and even when he spilled coffee on his white shirt.
I decided his video editor is brilliant because he could’ve cut out when he would ride out of the camera frame but then realize he had to come back for his camera – but he didn’t.
He could’ve cut those moments when he looked goofy, or didn’t look “professional” and like he had it all together, but those moments were there for all the world to see instead.
After watching his videos, I began looking at my own photos differently. Instead of trying to look my best for each I decided that “This is how I look. This is me!” And I’m going to be less hard on myself knowing that the imperfections are what we remember most about people.
Just as this twenty-something YouTuber has already learned to embrace his weird and let his freak flag fly, I appreciated the reminder.
I also couldn’t help think about how much effort women go to be on camera with their clothes, make up, and hair versus what men do!!!
I have to admit something to you too… sometimes when I see people unshowered and talking in their cars with terrible video quality I wonder “Why didn’t they just wait?” “Why didn’t they find a better spot to record?”
It’s been such a lesson for me.
Waiting equals not taking action.
Because waiting for the perfect moment can lead to inaction, not trying, and losing the message that you know you were meant to share.
I now think people are showing up when they feel aligned however that looks for them in that moment.
I do want to add the caveat that if you feel better when you have your make up done and your favorite outfit on – then go for it!
But if you feel called to record yourself sharing something, or take a photo, and you SUPRESS that because you feel like you SHOULD be more “presentable” – that’s where the issue lies (myself included).
If you could show up a hot mess, in your pj’s and know you wouldn’t be judged, would you? Would that feel more comfortable to you?
Or, do you feel most inspired in your cutest dress in your favorite spot of the house with the best lighting?
It’s up to you.
It’s up to you… I just want to invite you to be your FULL self.
Be awkward if you want to.
Be as “weird” as you feel called to.
Just make sure you are one thing for sure – YOU!
If you are excited about what you are doing it will reach those who it’s meant to reach.
If you are aligned with your message, others will FEEL that too.
Just keep going. Work through the kinks and don’t stop.
One of my biggest regrets in my business is that I kept second guessing it and starting over. I was on the right track, aligned and creating something magical so many times but I would stop because I thought it “should” be different.
Or when I learned about SEO and content writing, I thought I had to be more specific or people wouldn’t understand it.
I used to record at night on Tuesdays no matter how I looked that day. Then I started seeing the Rebecca Campbells of the mystical world with her beautiful backdrops and soothing music and wanted that too.
No shade to Rebecca, I love her, but she has a background in creative design so it makes sense that her creativity comes through in this way.
It just wasn’t my background. It wasn’t what I was feeling called to do at the time because I had smaller kids, afterschool obligations, and a husband that traveled for work 85% of the time. And… I’m being honest, deep-down it felt more important to get the message out than to get ready to deliver the message.
By the time I got ready I usually lost the window of opportunity!
And that window is sometimes SUPER small!!!
Pay attention to those you adore.
I highly encourage you to think about the people you connect to most online or otherwise and think about what you like about them.
It’s probably not that they had the best outfit (unless you’re looking for style tips!), or the most professional camera editing.
It’s likely based on how you felt connected to them. Likely they are someone you would love to brunch with or meet for taco Tuesday.
I remember hearing Kyle Gray on Hay House and thinking “I would love to hang out with him!” He was talking about angels and oracle cards, but he felt grounded and fun like you could be travel buddies and have a blast.
I ended up taking his Angel Tribe Certification course and still watch his videos to this day based on how down to earth he seemed.
A little inspiration?
If you need inspiration, the YouTuber I’m referring to is worth watching as well to see if you end up falling in love with his clumsiness and his looking like he is just trying to figure his way through the crazy 30-Day challenge he set for himself that then took on a life of its own.
I’d like to share also that prior to this challenge he tried one to survive on a penny for a week with the same goal to raise $100,000 and raised $50,000 instead.
So when he did the challenge again, he was hoping for the $100,000 and was emotional as the funds were growing into the millions for the cause Feeding America.
(There’s a second message in there about not giving up and continuing but I’ll leave that for another time.)
As long as you are YOU, not imitating what worked for someone else, then you are giving people the chance to connect to you.
The authentic you.
The aligned you.
The YOU that is dying to come out that people will respond to.
Not everyone will love you.
Some will judge you.
That’s going to happen no matter what.
But if you can look back and think “I was so inspired that day and so passionate about what I was saying”, you aren’t going to regret being “too much yourself”.
I truly don’t think you’re going to look back and think “I showed up as myself and I regret that”.
Because honestly, it takes so much work to be someone you are not and who has time for that?
You got inspired living to do!
Xoxo,
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