Everything I learned about life I learned by vlogging (every day in August)

So far this month, I have vlogged every day.* If you are not following along with all the lovely vloggers in the #VEDA group, I think you are missing out. It isn’t too late to catch up on some of our vlogs! Check out our awesome team of vloggers.

Here are 15 things I learned by vlogging**

It takes 28 days to commit to a habit just like it takes 28 days to break a habit. If you can vlog every day in August (which is actually 31 days of vlogging), you can commit to doing anything every day. Why not make a daily commitment to something else you value like practicing yoga or sending an email to a close friend or sleeping properly?
It takes a village to do just about anything. By anything, I mean coordinate a massive online video chat across the globe. The Internet can be as cliquey and exclusive as the Real World. Stepping outside your comfort zone to meet new people may challenge what you thought you needed and wanted in friendships. Surround yourself with people who are better at something or who know more about something. Surround yourself with people who empower you to have fun, learn, grow and change. Spend time with people who make you feel worthwhile and beautiful, but who challenge you.
If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re in a heap of trouble.
Asking for help is not a weakness. Instead, when you ask for help it means you are interested and willing to learn. No one was an expert video blogger on the first try.
Patience is a virtue. Be patient with yourself, your abilities and your mistakes. Be patient with others as they learn something new. Being steadfast and calm makes for a happier vlogger, which makes for a happier viewer. In other words, if you are patient, the world will be patient with you.
If someone is not interested in my life as much as I’m interested in his or hers, that is fine. It is still up to me to share knowledge and passion with others. You will make a difference to someone even if it is a complete stranger and a stranger will make a difference in your life even if you don’t know it yet.
For some of us, accepting compliments is more difficult than giving compliments. The ability to accept praise with a simple “Thank you” and no disclaimer is a skill one must build over time.
Self-awareness is one key to success in all things. Watching yourself while editing a vlog is similar to practicing a lecture or presentation in front of a mirror. Both are ways of becoming more self- aware. If you are self-aware enough to notice yourself fidgetting, saying the word “Um” every five seconds or twirling your hair constantly (nope *cough* not me *cough* never) because you are nervous, you can become self-aware enough to notice any action that needs to change. The next step, of course, is modifying the behavior. What we think we are doing may not actually be what is being projected out into the world. (OK, I know vlogging is not as powerful of a tool in your self-awareness toolbox as yoga, meditation or therapy. You get my point though.)
Creating something from beginning to end is rewarding on many levels. We often forget to be creative in our daily lives. We become set in our ways and we forget to think outside the box, as cliché as it may sound.
Sometimes the best way to explain something to someone is to be silent. You do not always have to speak to be heard. Music and images are great ways to express yourself, too. It is also valuable to be silent so you can really listen to what others are saying.
You will not be “on point” every day. You won’t always look or sound your best. In fact, some days you may just be downright sad, angry, stressed or exhausted. Don’t repress your negative affect. Put it out into the Universe and move forward. No matter how craptastic you feel, putting on a smile for the outside world can be incredibly therapeutic.
Fear, jealousy and a lack of understanding makes people judgmental. Do not take it personally if someone criticizes your hobby or if someone questions what you do with your free time. Include them the next time you vlog, knit or make cupcakes and they might see it from your perspective.
Feedback is important. Positive feedback improves performance. Sometimes, we need constructive criticism, too. We often shy away from criticizing friends unless they ask for our opinion instead of approaching them with the right intention. We all have opinions and we can all improve something, but we can also learn to be kind in our criticism.
Our differences as humans rarely seem to outweigh the similarities. While we are each unique individuals, we often share common experiences, values, needs and emotions that should unite us instead of divide us.
We are complex creatures. One cannot capture his or her full self with only one form of communication. Blogging is remarkable in that we are able to see inside the writer’s mind. I realize it is impossible for people to know who I truly am just by reading my blog. I can never know who you truly are just by reading your blog. Vlogging allows us to see another facet of each other. As Ashley would say, “I love your face” and I want to see more of it.

I thought I’d share some of the things my #VEDA friends learned while vlogging every day in August. What have you learned so far while vlogging or watching other people vlog this month?

- – - – -

*That is a lie. I have definitely recorded something and/or edited the video footage every day. I certainly have not recorded and edited on the same day which would meet the technical requirement for vlogging every day in August (aka #VEDA).

** That is an exaggeration, but sounds catchier than saying I was reminded of 15 things while vlogging.