I'm in a sewer right now

My heart thumped in my chest as if it were bouncing on a trampoline.

My camera sat on a makeshift stack of books, teetering on a chair. I held my dinky little $20 Amazon microphone in my hand.

I spent the last 30 minutes trying to create the “perfect” setup. But in all honesty, it was just me procrastinating for what was to come…

My brain was a cocktail of nerves and adrenaline.

• “What are they going to think of me?”

• “What do I look like?”

• “How do I sound?”

These questions raced through my head as I pressed record.

And no, this wasn’t a video for OnlyFans.

3 years ago, before I even started posting on Twitter, I was inspired by YouTubers like Matt D’Avella, Nathaniel Drew, and Better Ideas to start making videos.

I didn’t have a clear idea of what I was going to talk about exactly. I just knew I wanted to share lessons from my self-improvement journey.

So, I hit record…

And…

Nothing.

I spent a good hour trying to get out the first 30 seconds of my first YouTube video.

I got so in my head on creating the “perfect” video that I became paralyzed with cringe.

I compared myself to the creators with years of experience and hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

Discouraged with my attempt, I gave up that day.

“I’m just not cut out for this” I told myself.

Why Most Creators Fail

Thankfully, shortly after my attempt at YouTube, I stumbled upon a more beginner friendly platform to create content on.

Twitter.

Although I had a rough start to that platform as well, I eventually got better and built my confidence as a creator.

Now after 3 years of posting content every day and building a total audience of over 500,000 people across X, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and mentoring over 100 creators, I can confidently tell you the #1 reason why most creators fail.

It’s something I call the Content Sewer.

Okay, I’ve never used that term before, but I like labelling concepts so it’s a thing now.

I relate the Content Sewer to something Julian Shapiro talks about:

This same principle applies to “bad” content.

You and I have a blockage of shitty content (pun intended) we need to get out before we can create “good” content.

It’s a stage EVERY creator goes through. But so many beginner (including myself) think we’re special and can skip this step.

We set impossible expectations, compare ourselves to the top creators, and try to be perfect.

And THIS is what paralyzes us as creators.

THIS is why most creators fail.

If they even start, it doesn’t last long because they see little results. They give up after a few weeks or a couple months.

It’s not sexy, but the only way out is through the disgusting and cringe Content Sewer.

The Content Sewer is pitch-black, stinks like rotten eggs, and is moister than an oyster.

You’re wandering through like you’re the blind Stevie Wonder.

How To Push Through The BS

Like it or not, you gotta go through the Content Sewer to get to the promised land.

But lucky for us, we can put on a hazmat suit before we do.

By going in with the expectation that we gotta go through this disgusting sewer, we give ourselves permission to:

• Not have it all figured out

• Publish “bad” content

• Screw up

When we have this expectation, we don’t view it as “failing”, we view it as part of the process.

And truthfully, I’m starting this process once again.

After 3 years, I’m publishing my first official YouTube video. The editing is top notch, but truthfully, I’m not confident in my ability to structure and script my videos.

But that’s okay.

I’m looking at it from a long time horizon. I don’t expect to see any crazy results until I’ve posted once a week for at LEAST an entire year or two.

With each video, I’m going to improve a tiny percent. Over time, this is going to compound into meaningful progress.

So, my friend, I encourage you to hop in the sewer.

I’ll be there with ya ;)

Your Canadian Friend,

Dakota “In The Sewer” Robertson

P.S.

I’d love for you to join me on my YouTube journey.

I’m dedicating dozens of hours, thousands of dollars, and a ton of effort into these videos.

If you want to subscribe to my YouTube channel, you can click here.