To start making progress, face the truth.

It's better to admit you're bad for a season than to pretend you're good, for a lifetime.

I felt like I wasn't making any progress because I didn't have a starting point to measure my progress from.

If you don't go through the initial pain of accepting where you are right now, you'll never be able to move forward.

It's better to admit you're bad for a season…

…than to pretend you're good, for a lifetime.

When I started going to the gym after years of not going, I had a hard time accepting that I was essentially starting from zero. My ego wouldn't let me ask for help because doing so meant acknowledging that I didn't have what it took to maintain the habit for the past four years. So I kept making mistakes and I even injured my upper back.

Accepting that I knew almost nothing about working out, hurt for a bit, but then everything started going up from there. Every small improvement made a difference, and before I knew it, I had a lot of momentum.

The same applied to speaking to the camera.

I had created false expectations in my head of how easy and fun it would be because I had seen too many videos from successful creators, making it look effortless.

Because a part of me knew that it would be a painful process to get started, I kept postponing it to live in my fantasy for longer.

That was until I decided to face the truth and make a small test. It was hard and emotionally painful. I kept stuttering, and it felt awkward and unnatural. It took me more than an hour to read a one-minute script. But now I knew the truth, and after all, it wasn't that bad. Now I had a true starting point. Every bit of practice got me a bit closer to where I want to be.

If, on the other hand, I had kept being delusional, every improvement wouldn't have counted because if you believe you're a world-class speaker and you learn to vocalize, that doesn't make sense. A world-class speaker already vocalizes well! So that improvement makes you feel bad because of the flawed expectations you have of yourself.

Remember, no one ever regretted facing the truth. It's almost like being inside a dark, cold room all day and deciding to open the blinds. When the sun first hits your face, it's uncomfortable and hurts your eyes, but after a few minutes, your eyes adapt, and you start feeling the warmth and energy the sun gives you.

Much love and respect,

Ash Lamb

visualgrowth.com