Worrying about your videos not being perfect
This is post #3 in my series on inner critics and videos. Start here with the overview post.
Ohhhhh, perfectionism - welcome to the inner critic party!
Inner critics love to use perfectionism to stop you from doing something new or slightly scary. It definitely flares up when you’re shooting and editing your own videos.
In my own life, I re-record videos all the time… sometimes way too many times. This destroys the authentic feeling of my message and can make me second-guess or shut down the video entirely.
On the flip side, some messages aren’t worth posting. The message might not come together coherently or you decide it’s too risky or vulnerable or whatever it is. That’s ok!
What I’m talking about here is when there is a message you are really want to speak about so you record a video. However, then you get carried away with tweaking the background, worrying over a noise your dog makes, or futzing with your hair. You may even decide to give up on the video because it’s not perfect.
Listen, I’m as guilty of this as anyone else is. I’ve got an actual video graveyard on my phone! 💀💀💀
But now I know this can be a big mistake. Some of the videos I’ve published even though I had misgivings about the video being imperfect, have been some of the videos that have resonated most with others.
The lesson here is that perfectionism can be a huge liar and it’s one way the inner critic stops you from telling your story.
Perfectionism also can zap the joy out of a project. Anything real is imperfect - that’s just the way it is! You aren’t really living your life if you aren’t making mistakes, learning, and growing. And sometimes that growth leaves real scars.
People also are imperfect because they’re real. Homes are imperfect because they’re lived in. No one who is alive and well today can expect perfection from anyone else. If they do, they live in a fantasy.
The good news is that people don’t require perfection in the videos they watch. I mean, look at all those adorable, but definitely low-quality videos of kittens and puppies! They have millions of views because they serve their purpose - serving up healthy doses of cuteness. No one cares about the heaping pile of laundry or the unmade bed in the background.
In any case, poor video quality isn’t the biggest reason why people stop watching videos according to the TechSmith Video Viewer Survey from 2021. Most often, people stop watching videos because they saw the info they came for; they don’t get the info they expected; they are bored; or they get distracted by other tasks. That’s it - the content is more important than how perfect the video looks!
If you can create videos that are easy to follow along and relatable, as well as feature you as the engaging and knowledgeable host you are, you’ll be golden.
Video affirmation if you say to yourself “I can’t make videos perfectly so why bother?”
🕵🏼♀️Questions that’ll help you reframe your inner critic’s perspective:
What if I shoot a video that is “good enough”? What does “good enough” mean to me?
What does a perfect video even mean? Is it realistic for me or others like me to create such a video?
What would it be like if the people I care about pay attention to this video?
Thinking about other videos I’ve enjoyed this week, what was their level of production quality? Have I watched videos that were lower quality, but helpful, funny, or relatable?
If I don’t worry as much about the production quality for my videos, what does that free me up to do more of (e.g. make more videos or promote them more)?
Have you ever created something that wasn’t perfect, but helped someone, made someone laugh, or motivated someone else?
