Staying Motivated

 Staying Motivated

Life can certainly throw us some curveballs leaving us unmotivated at times. We all have those days when we wake up feeling bad, or sick, or maybe we get home after a long day of work tired, and the kids want our attention. Whatever the factor, by the time your stream time comes around you simply just aren’t in the mood to hit that go-live button.  As a result, you’ll send out a tweet or write a post on your various social media platforms letting your community know how are you doing and that your stream will be canceled. You are valid in thinking you need a night off, and you can stream tomorrow, but this can be a slippery slope. I’ve witnessed so many people say I’ll just cancel today and the next day comes, and they cancel again leading to weeks, even months off while others never pick it up again. 

A little background about me, I get very nervous talking to large audiences, and public speaking is certainly not my strong suit. Many mornings, I wake up sore or not feeling well, and often I don’t feel as though I look my best. Sometimes, I am so hurt by something someone said to me that it consumes me for days, and it plays with my emotions and mental health. Like so many others I also suffer from imposter syndrome, leaving me feeling like I don’t deserve any recognition. These are just some of the reasons that I’m filled with anxiety at the thought of hitting that go-live button. I have certainly missed streams and sometimes that is unavoidable, but I always try to push through my insecurities and go live. It is important for me to remind myself that streaming isn’t the cause of those problems and insecurities. Just as it is for me, it is imperative that you don’t allow those negative thoughts that say you aren’t good enough to win. Remember you have the power to work through self-doubt and excuses. 

Don’t strive for Perfection

Streaming should be first and foremost fun, but if you truly want to take your channel to the next level, you will need passion and discipline. Many streamers want everything to be perfect, but if you are thinking of streaming as a possible job, you need to start shifting your perspective. You have undoubtedly, felt tired, argued with your significant other, or didn’t have time to fully get ready, so are not feeling like you are putting your best foot forward, but you still go to work despite all this. On that same token, you might not be performing at 100% that day, and you might be counting down the minutes until you can go home, but you went to work and did your job to the best of your abilities. The same principle can be applied to your streams. Take a look at the days that you took off from streaming, this can include missed scheduled days or days when you wanted to stream but decided against it.  What stopped you? Would you have missed work for the same reason? There is no right or wrong answer here, this is simply just an exercise to make you think and help you see if streaming is something you want to take to the next level or just a hobby, either is an acceptable answer. 

Be Present

The most important thing about being a streamer is not to have the perfect channel but rather to be there live with your community. I always feel better when I go live because not only do I get to play video games but more importantly I get to interact with people. You might be asking what if there is no one is chat to talk to? In those cases, I find solace in knowing I am doing something I enjoy rather than sitting and dwelling on the negative emotions consuming me before streaming. Now, this is not to say that I’m feeling better or feeling confident, or forgetting about something bad that has happened but knowing I persevered is empowering. 

If you are lucky enough to have an audience, they understand you are human, and sharing your story can be very inspiring to them. You can bet that your community would rather you talk to them about it with them. Streaming for me has been a way to temporarily distract myself from my problems and my community has been instrumental in helping me with that. Remember that you are there to entertain and help distract your viewers from their problems, and they are there to help you. 

As for entertainment, when you are not at your best: it’s best to look at it as I’m more entertaining streaming than I would ever be, had I decided not to stream. Spending time with your community is extremely important. People want to get to know you and they do that by seeing you, not just at your best but at all times. You may not realize how important you are when you go live to someone on any given day. Keep in mind that someone in your chat talking or lurking might be having a bad day and has been looking forward to your stream all day. As discussed in the previous entry Why are people watching, viewers have different intents when visiting your stream. Some will watch with undivided attention, while others will tune in and out while doing something around the house, or they might leave your stream on in the background.  You never truly know what is happening on the other side of the computer screen.  On that same token, unless someone shares it with you, you will never know the impact you have on someone.

Now I do want to say that if you truly need a day off for mental health or other reasons, take the day, that is perfectly understandable. I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, and only you know your limits and if you can power through, and only you can make the decision to stream or not. What I do know, is that you can’t allow it to become a habit or let negative self-doubt take control. The world won’t stop if you take a day off.  People will even encourage you, but don’t allow it to become the norm. Consistency is important and when you persevere through the more difficult times, that is when you will get a feeling of accomplishment. 

Final Thoughts

If you are truly looking to grow your channel, treat streaming, the same way you would treat your day job. Doing this will keep you accountable and give you a way to track your progress. By keeping to a schedule and being consistent, you will build a community of great friends while doing something you truly enjoy.  All this will keep you motivated and if you work hard enough, you just might be a full-time streamer/content creator in the future.