Evan Carmichael shares how he made a 6-minute motivational video about Bruce Lee despite a publicist saying successful YouTube videos must be under three minutes. The video hit 500,000 views. He argues that success means trusting your passion and ignoring doubters who misuse data to discourage you.
Little man. The doubter said, "Man cannot fly." The doer said, "Maybe, but we'll try," and finally soared in the morning glow while non-believers watched from below. Bruce Lee. I just passed a really important milestone that I'm excited to share with you, but first, a story. 11 months ago, I set a goal for myself. I wanted to create a motivational video for entrepreneurs because I know how hard it is to wake up every day and follow your dream even when the people around you may not support you. I spent 5 months trying to make my goal work. I had the goal, but I didn't have the skills or the know-how. I needed help. I reached out to people I knew, asked friends for help, looked at who the best people in the world at doing these videos were. I made it my goal, I made it important, and slowly things started to happen. After a lot of questioning, looks, and rejections, I found my team and got to work. We made a great video. I was so proud of it. I watched and felt, man, I'm honored that my name is on this. It felt so good. It was 6 minutes and 3 seconds of pure awesome. So I showed it to some people in the video and publicity business. The response: 7 words: No video should be 6 minutes ever. So I wrote back showing that all the TED Talks, which are extremely popular, are all over 6 minutes. His response: The average length of the top 50 videos on YouTube was 2 minutes and 54 seconds. Please tell me you actually understand how the internet works. So by his logic, because the average video is 2 minutes and 54 seconds, my video can't be 6 minutes and be popular. It's comical. But it's also really important. You see, the younger Evan might have listened to him. After all, this guy is an expert in making videos and in getting publicity. You should always listen to expert advice, right? I've never made a video like this before. What do I know? Here's what I know. 11 months ago when I set my goal, I was excited about it. I felt it was something that people needed, that I needed. The finished product was something I was so proud of creating. I wasn't about to let this little man take my goal away from me. Even if he is an expert. Even if he knows what he's talking about. When you find something that you're passionate about, you have to keep going. Even when people tell you you're crazy. Even when people tell you that this will never work. Even when you start to doubt yourself. Because the world belongs to the unreasonable men and women who follow their hearts and build amazing things. You will never be truly happy, have a real impact on this world, or make lots of money if you base your decisions on the results of other people's thinking, especially when that other person is the little man. So trust the dots will connect somewhere in your future. Trust that even if you only see darkness around you right now, things will work out. Trust that by following your heart, you will reach your goals and help change the world. And stop listening to the little man. Oh, and my 6-minute way-too-long video? We just crossed 500,000 views on it. Believe.
How the Biggest Mistake in History Created A Trillion-Dollar Empire | Sergey Brin
9 Machiavelli Principles That Force People To Respect You | Machiavellian Philosophy
The First 10 Words That Instantly Ruin A Sales Conversation | Vanessa Van Edwards
The Top 1% Mindset Behind The First $5 Trillion Company | Jensen Huang (Nvidia)
