You get to do something new. You've never done it before, and you are feeling uncomfortable. In some cases, that feeling will stop you from starting your podcast. Today, we talk about that feeling and how to overcome it. If you can't get yourself over the hump, this episode will help.
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Think About Your Firsts
If you remember the first time you tried something, it typically wasn't great.
- First Kiss
- Riding a bike
- Driving alone (especially on the freeway)
- First day of school
We Learn From Doing Things Poorly
Last week, I burned some toast. I've been making toast for 50+ years. I forgot to set it back after doing a muffin. Have you ever bounced a check? Forgot to write something down? Been in a car accident? Been divorced? We learn by trying things, producing a “rough draft” (if we were writers), and the next time we try it we often do better.
My Pep Talk
People often say my show is funny.
I've made people laugh in very tense situations, so I had the ability
I had played the guitar in front of thousands of people and led classes for decades. Public speaking was not the issue.
I practiced over and over and over. I would time it and got it to where I didn't forget anything the night before.
When Our Fears Leave Us Frozen
I was asked to do 5 minutes of stand-up comedy at a Cancer and Comedy event. I've never done stand-up and didn't really want to do it. My friend needed someone to fill in the “opening act” and so my desire to help my friend had me saying “yes.” It also had to be clean comedy as it was being held in a church.
I had been brainstorming for a few weeks and decided to reshape a talk I had done for a high school reunion. In this case, I had no idea who my audience would be. I didn't really test my material (besides the reunion evening). I didn't want to let Brad down for asking me.
A friend of mine, who I thought was pretty funny, had done a set at an amateur night and just bombed.
I thought about that time in elementary school where the minute my first choir performance had me vomiting the minute the last note was over.
I can speak in public. I do it all the time. This was trying to make people laugh—something I had never done before.
Change Your Thinking and Your Focus
When Brad came up and asked me how I was doing, I said, “I love you (for the opportunity), and I hate you (as I was WAY out of my comfort zone).
As this was something I had never done before, I felt something I had never felt before. I didn't know what I was feeling. I felt like I was going to explode.
So, I embraced my uncomfortableness.
If we learn by doing new things, on the other side of this awkwardness is a lesson.
So try not to focus on how YOU FEEL but instead on how your content will make YOUR AUDIENCE feel.
Also, new podcasters get petrified of THE AUDIENCE. The average podcast episode on Libsyn gets less than 200 downloads. The media podcast on Buzzsprout is 33.
When your need to serve is stronger than your fear of looking unprofessional, you will press record.
Dave's First Comedy Stand Up
Remember This Last Point
When we look at people who are really good at something, it didn't happen overnight.
Podcast Rewind:
I appeared on episode 16 of Tell Me How You're Mighty: Infidelity Survival Stories.
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
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Mentioned In This Episode
Join the School of Podcasting Community
Start Ugly: A Timeless Tale About Innovation & Change
Alec Johnson Take One Tech Academy
Building a Better Dave “Was Frosty Depressed?”
Building a Better Dave “Amish Porn”
Better Dave, “It's Your Birthday”
TIMELINE
00:00:00 – How We Learn
00:01:04 – Introduction
00:01:41 – Getting The Nerve to Podcast
00:03:28 – The Invite
00:09:07 – Performance Night
00:10:51 – I'm Going to Explode
00:11:28 – Pep Talk
00:13:38 – What is This I'm Feeling?
00:14:21 – Brain Tatoos
00:15:30 – Switch Your Thinking
00:18:22 – Daves Comedy Set
00:24:20 – Daves Comments
00:26:16 – The Magic of Podcasting
00:28:00 – Serve over Fear
00:29:11 – Join the School of Podcasting
00:30:10 – Podcasting Tips
00:30:27 – One Way To Get Past Your Fears
00:31:56 – Invest In Yourself
00:34:40 – Podcast Rewind
00:37:09 – Question of the Month
00:38:09 – Live Appearances
00:38:38 – We Learn From Mistakes
00:39:48 – The Goal of This Episode
00:40:21 – Follow the Show
00:40:45 – Bloopers