Daily Inspiration: “Never be afraid of looking back at where you were to learn more about where you could still be going in the future!”

“Never be afraid of looking back at where you were in order to learn more as to where you could still be going in the future!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

You need to reinvent yourself – you know that is true. And yet, you are fearful of doing so – it seems like it’s not an easy process – and you are worried that you will make a lot of mistakes along the way. Both statements are true.

Gosh knows I did! I look back at some of my earliest shows in my virtual home studio with horror. And yet, I’ve left them online.  The stage backdrops are pretty marginal, the quality is significantly bad, the lighting is off, the pictures are blurry. I was making do with the equipment I had at the time, the small range of knowledge that I knew, and the barely basic skills that I had mastered.

Today? I’m still pretty much lacking in all those departments but certainly less so! And every once in a while, I’ll take a look at my past actions to figure out what to avoid in the future. Avoidance is a great pillar on which to build a path to success!

This particular clip from a ‘show’ back in September teaches me the lesson not to rush things – in the online world, with so many moving components – and since I’m the producer, director, host, technical staff and water boy – I’ve got to make sure all the wheels are in motion and properly engaged.

In the particular ‘show’ from back in May, I’m featured on a Toronto skyline with my hat on, I’m rushing out the door for one of my earliest golf games in the season. I’d been running a weekly show at that point, trying to force myself to learn how to put together online content, practice by going live, and how to build interesting content.

This was from week 6 of that ‘show’ – and shortly after this I dropped the idea of a regular weekly program. I concluded two things – going weekly was not enough to develop my skills, and golf season was going to hit my regular weekly commitment – meaning I was going to rush my effort! It showed in the product that came out. Rushing was bad for my virtual health!

I decided instead to accelerate my online time, going daily or every two days, and to work harder to build my virtual skills. It turned out to be the right decision.

Every once in a while, I force myself to go back and look at my earlier work along the way – it’s a great way to learn more about where I can take this ‘thing’ forward into the future.