Remembering Your Why

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Remembering your why, your reason for doing what you are doing, is so important in life.  So often we forget why we began doing what we are doing, or forget why we are aiming for the goals we seek.

So often in life, we also strive for outcomes without even thinking about why we want that thing.

Do you want financial success?

Do you want freedom?

Do you want notoriety, fame, stardom?

Perhaps you are doing something because you have a message to spread or information you want available to a wider audience.

Perhaps you want control.

Recently, I teamed up with a few different Moms and did a collaboration on YouTube.  The collaboration was Do’s and Don’ts of Homeschooling.  My main ‘Do’s’ was “Do remember your why; your reason for starting on this journey.”  I will discuss my ‘why’ for homeschooling in an upcoming blog, but I am surprised how so many people do not know their why.  I am sure at one point they had an idea of the reasons they wanted to homeschool.  Something inspired them to take the path they did, but after making the decision they have rarely thought back to that.

The same thought came up today.

With all of the YouTube drama over demonetization and whether YouTube is hurting small creators or not, there has been a lot of talk about quitting YouTube.

Even tonight, as I was assessing my analytics, my husband asked me if I was going to stop.  I asked him “why would I stop?”  He said “because it is too stressful.  Getting 500 subscribers in a month is hard”.

He’s right.  Getting 500 subscribers in a month will be hard.

It has taken me over a year to reach the 500 subscriber mark, but I am not doing this for the subscribers.  I do not find YouTube stressful.  In fact, I find YouTube relaxing.  It is a creative outlet for me, even if I have dreams for it to be more.  Even if I do not reach the 1000 subscriber cut off before the deadline, does it really matter?  Sure, my channel will be demonetized but nothing else will change.  I will continue to make content.

So I thought to myself, what are my whys?

Why am I doing this?

Am I in it for the money?  Nope.  I have been consistently making content for just a little over a year now.  While writing this, we have 511 subscribers and just a little over 340,000 views.  Most of those views came from a 12 second video of Cosmo that went viral 10 years ago.  10 years ago 100,000 views was viral.  As of a few days ago, I finally passed the $100 threshold to get a payout from YouTube.  This only includes my videos within the last year.  10 years ago we took advantage of the ad revenue at the time.  $100 for a year’s worth of work is hardly a paycheck.

Am I in it for the fame?  Not at all.  I actually struggle with my choice to do this.  Especially when it comes to putting my children out there for the world to see.  I am very particular about what content of them I put on our channel, hoping it will not be a decision they hate me for as teens or adults.  Personally, I have never dreamed of being famous.  I like hiding behind the camera, and honestly am glad we are still small because I do not know how I would react to being recognized in public by a stranger.

So why am I doing this?

I made the decision to start my YouTube channel because I had a message I wanted to share.  That message mainly revolves around our lifestyle choice.

I wanted to share that unschool children, despite many beliefs, are not uneducated.  That homeschool children are not socially awkward.  I wanted to show that children can survive and thrive in an environment that caters to their needs – mentally, socially, and intellectually.  They can thrive in an environment based on respect.

Since I started our channel my why has changed a bit.  I know also include in our message ideas about minimalism, reducing waste, travelling with children, etc…  It is no longer focused on schooling, but on life.  I want to share that simple shifts in our thoughts can change our outlook on the world.

But I guess ultimately, even with minute changes, my why is still the same.  My why is to share what I am passionate about.  To share this passion with others.  Ultimately, I am a teacher.  I love being able to share information.  YouTube, this blog, all of my social media – I participate in all of these things because I want to share who I am.  I don’t want others to be like me, but I want others to hear my message of being yourself despite your differences.

That is my why.

What’s yours?