I couldn’t even get myself to finish the essay because this area of study just didn’t excite me. The thought of getting into the program terrified me because I couldn’t imagine going to school for two more years of my life. At that moment I slowly got out of my chair, walked to my parents’ room (yes, I lived with my parents even during university; I said they were South Asian, remember? I didn’t have a choice!), and announced that I didn’t want to apply for graduate school, but instead wanted to pursue my YouTube career.
As you can imagine, this was a terrifying conversation for all of us. I was telling my parents that I didn’t want to go to school and obtain a master’s degree, but instead wanted to create videos for the Internet—something they didn’t even know how to use. For my part, I was excited about my choice but also extremely scared. At the time I had only a few videos online and had no idea if my decision was at all realistic. In those days YouTube wasn’t the known platform it is now. Today digital creators are business owners who have countless opportunities and revenue streams. We are getting recognized as tastemakers and influencers with real and powerful followings. But back in 2010, creating content for YouTube was a strange and unique phenomenon, especially in Toronto. The biggest creators had 2 or 3 million subscribers. Today people have over 40 million subscribers, and a video of a cat falling will get 3 million views. But in 2010, it was still unclear whether YouTube itself would stand the test of time. Who was to say that YouTube wouldn’t go the way of MySpace and disappear?
My parents responded in the best way they possibly could: they gave me a year to try out YouTube full-time. If after a year I hadn’t made any progress, they wanted me to pursue my master’s. With that, I began my 365-day countdown and YouTube become my main focus.
Every day I wrote scripts, recorded videos, edited, watched other creators’ videos, and researched marketing ideas. But I lived with a constant feeling of doubt, and a voice in the back of my head kept whispering: “But what if this doesn’t work? You should still prepare for graduate school.”
This carried on for a while until I received a sign from the universe. I was in Montreal for a small hosting gig and things were running late, so my friends and I were watching TV in our hotel room. Everyone was chatting away, drinking and doing their own thing, but I was fixated on the television. An interview with Kate Winslet was airing, and the host asked her, “What advice do you have for anyone that wants to act or get into the entertainment industry?” At that moment, it felt as if time slowed down, the entire room went quiet, and no one else was there except for Kate and me. Her answer was, essentially, “If you really want to do something, don’t have a Plan B. Having a Plan B means you’re expecting your Plan A to fail, and that isn’t the right attitude.” After her last word, I snapped back to reality with new clarity and purpose. I would toss my Plan B in the trash and put all my energy and efforts into my Plan A.
I started treating my career as if it was a guarantee. Instead of having a Plan B (graduate school) and Plan C (an office job), I developed a Plan A, Plan A 2.0, and Plan A 3.0. YouTube and entertainment were always going to be Plan A; the only things I would alter were my strategy and technique. When I was hit with obstacles such as low viewership, negative comments, or writer’s block, I didn’t give up and start considering other career paths. Instead I strengthened my Plan A by learning new ways to market myself, training my mind to deal with hate comments, and creating a creative space to write in.
Of course what I’m suggesting is risky, not to mention terrifying, but if you’re willing to work for your dream, lose sleep for it, and give 200 percent for it, then put all your eggs in one basket and make the basket golden.
So what do you want to do? Who do you want to become? Where do you want to work? Whatever your answer is, make that your Plan A and don’t clutter your mind with three other plans that are backups. Your mind, energy, and time need to be united for your Plan A to work.
I’ll end by saying that I’m going to expect from you what all Indian parents expect from their children, and that’s no B’s, only A’s. Get to work!
IF YOU TWEET about going to hot yoga every day but no one is around to read it, will you still sweat?
Social media has gotten us into the habit of saying things instead of simply doing things. It’s even led us to believe that saying something is the SAME as doing something. Of course, it’s easy to convince people that what you say online is actually what you do offline. How would they know any better? You’re behind a screen. Maybe you’re actually at hot yoga, or maybe you’re just in your apartment with the AC turned off and your legs mildly stretched out. But a Bawse knows that if you can do something, there’s no need to say it.
Once upon a time, ever so long ago, I went on a date with a very handsome guy. I’m using “handsome” as a descriptor not because I’m superficial (although let’s be real, it’s a nice touch) but because I didn’t know too much about him prior to this date. We met at a party and talked for a bit, but we were also drinking dranks (translation for old people: alcoholic beverages) and so we didn’t really learn any deep information about each other. We just had the kind of stupid conversation you have while sipping a drink. Or two. Or seven. Whatever. No one was driving. (#BlessUpUberX)
I was excited to learn all about my handsome date and, admittedly, a little nervous. We ordered some drinks and sat across from each other, and I put all my energy into not blushing at the sight of his magnificent face. I asked him about his day and then he asked me about mine—you know, typical conversation. And then I asked him about work and he told me all about his career. And his goals. And his gym routine. And the most recent contract he’d signed. And what he was working on next. I sat in silence, listening to him. He told me stories all about how funny he was and how he makes everyone laugh at work. Then, without me asking, he told me all about how he was a really nice guy. In fact, he ended the story with, “And that’s just the type of person I am.” I knew I wasn’t having THE BEST time, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. I realized he wasn’t asking me very many questions, but I chalked that up to nerves. You know, trying to give people the benefit of the doubt. But even when he did ask me a question here or there, I still was having a 7/10 time on a date that I was expecting to be a 20/10 (okay, fine, that was superficial of me).
When I got home, my friend asked me how it went. I said, “Honestly, I don’t know.” I had to sit down, take time out of my day, bust out a calculator, open an encyclopedia, and start an intensive research process to determine what it was I hadn’t liked about the date. Then I figured it out. He’d kept TELLING me about the type of person he was, but he’d done nothing to SHOW me.
If you’re funny, you shouldn’t have to notify people that you’re funny. And not to be a jerk, but I didn’t laugh once on that date. Yet he told me two different stories about how funny his friends thought he was. If you’re nice, you don’t have to tell people you’re nice; they’ll be able to see that.
“A BAWSE KNOWS THAT IF YOU WANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, YOU NEED TO SHOW PEOPLE WHO YOU ARE, AND THEN KEEP SHOWING THEM.
If you’re going to talk the talk, then you have to walk the walk. In fact, if you can walk the walk, I really see no need for you to do any talking unless you’re specifically asked about the walk you are providing. LESS TALKING. MORE WALKING.
People often say “words lie and actions speak the truth.” I used to think that was a great saying, but then I heard a motivational speaker by the name of Trent Shelton say something even better. He said, “Words lie; actions can lie too. Consistency speaks the truth.” My jaw dropped at the accuracy of these words. Talking about something doesn’t make it true. And action is only meaningful if it’s consistent. A Bawse knows that if you want to be taken seriously, you need to show people who you are, and then keep showing them.
Don’t tell your boss you work hard; let your work prove it. Don’t just tell your girlfriend you’re loyal; be loyal. Don’t tell your opponent you’re going to knock them out; just knock them out.
Talk is cheap, so leave it at the thrift store.