I remember when I decided I wanted to be a podcaster.
I had listened to so many podcasts for a long time and really admired the hosts. They seemed like they were having so much fun and sharing some valuable content with the world.
I wanted to be just like them.
When I found out one of my favorite podcasters had made a podcasting course, I jumped right in.
To me, being a podcaster looked like…
Consistently releasing episodes once per week
Doing interviews with inspiring guests
Recording insightful solo episodes
Posting often on social media to promote your show
Having hundreds of listens on every episode
After over a year of doing what I thought a podcaster is supposed to do, I realized I didn't even like doing half the things it took to put on a podcast.
I didn't realize that being a podcaster also came along with hours of editing, making sure sound quality was good, coordinating time in your and your guest's busy schedules to record, and a lot of patience to build and engage an audience over time.
I found myself uninspired, burnt out, and unfulfilled.
Don't get me wrong, I loved creating and doing the podcast as it is one of the things I most proud of for myself.
However, I found the biggest mistake I made in approaching this project was I was trying to be like other podcasters, instead of exploring what I wanted podcasting to look like for me.
I realized I was focusing so much on what I wanted to BE instead of what I wanted to DO. This is what left me unfulfilled.
As I transitioned out of podcasting and started to look for next projects or new goals, I knew I had to approach the next thing with a different mindset.
what do I want to do instead of what do I want to be
When I started channeling this mindset of what do I want to do, I realized one thing I wanted to do was write.
I had always enjoyed writing when I was younger. I was an avid journaler. My favorite part of the podcasting was writing the solo episodes. I just found writing very soothing.
I didn't know what I wanted to be with writing, but that didn't matter because this was about doing.
I already had a website, so why not just starting writing a blog on there and see what comes of it. I didn't even consider myself a blogger, I was just writing.
I have been writing for 5 months now. I try to write every morning before the day gets away from me.
I found I was writing so much that I started creating a blog post every week.
I wanted to share my writing with others so I started talking about it on Instagram and Facebook. I felt like I wanted to share even more so I started a weekly newsletter.
I started to see some traction with people reading my content so I started tracking my growth. I was curious as to how many people were reading my content and where they were getting it from.
Despite all the things I was doing with writing and evolution of it, here is what really happened when I made this transition from what I want to be to what I want to do.
Tasks became fulfilling
When I was focusing on what I wanted to be, I would make a checklist of all the things I needed to do and maybe one of them was fulfilling. When I started focusing on what I wanted to do, the tasks, even if they weren't the most exciting, felt so aligned to who I was and what I wanted to do that they became fulfilling.
Creativity was allowed
When I was focusing on what I wanted to be, I felt like there was only 1 path and it was the path I watched someone else take. When I started focusing on what I wanted to do, it really opened up my mind to all the different paths I could take. It showed me that I didn't need to be afraid to take the road others hadn't. I could channel my curiosity and interests, and take the path that was best for me. Sometimes this took me down unexpected paths that I didn’t know were possible.
Goals seemed manageable
Sometimes having a goal of "being" something can seem overwhelming and almost impossible to achieve. It can be hard to even know the first step to take. When I set my sights on what I wanted to do, I could break things down into smaller steps to complete the task. I found myself so much more motivated to go after the task or goal now that it seemed manageable.
My own path and pace of growth was defined
When I was striving so hard to be something, I got impatient with my growth. I was wondering why I wasn't getting the results I wanted or results as fast as I wanted. When I started focusing on what I wanted to do, I saw growth happening in the direction I wanted and a pace that felt right to me. I've found sometimes the continual, slow growth is the most rewarding.
Making the mindset shift from what do I want to be to what do I want to do has been a game-changer for me.
It has led me to something I'm passionate about.
It has led me to feel like I have new purpose for my life.
It has led me to believe that all the things I want to do will lead me to a person I'm proud to be.