Stop caring what other people think

This week my little engineering YouTube channel, which I started properly last October, reached the first big milestone of 1,000 subscribers.

I should really take a step back and congratulate myself on getting this far, many don’t. However, I can’t stop thinking how further along I would be, had I been persistent when I first created my channel.

I actually uploaded my first YouTube video in January 2022, my second in March and my third in April. Then I stopped uploading anything.

I wasn’t happy with the quality of my videos. I thought other people would think I was silly for trying to start a YouTube channel in my 30s, and I didn’t think anyone would want to listen to what I had to say.

As time went on, however, I realised that no one actually cared what I was doing. Everyone is too caught up in their own lives to give a second thought about what I was doing with my time.

Most people spend their lives fearing what other people think of them and trying to keep up appearances. As a result, they blend into the crowd and become just as average and mediocre as everyone else.

If you want to do something with your life you need to just start. Stop caring what other people think of you, I assure you in most cases they aren’t thinking about you at all.

If you start that project that you have been putting off, what is the worst that is going to happen? If your bet pays off, then what is the potential upside?

At the end of the day, we only live once and it is up to you to make your one life as interesting as possible, no one is going to do that for you.

Of course, there are a few people who do seem to “care” what you are doing.

They come to you with constructive criticism as to why what you are doing isn’t going to work and try and persuade you to stop.

In most cases this isn’t about you, it is about them. Unless they have already done what you are trying to do and are in a position to give you advice, you need to ignore them.

They are uncomfortable that you are doing something positive with your life and are questioning what it says about them, that they aren’t even trying.

They don’t want to be left behind so they will try and drag you back down. As they say, misery loves company.

If what you want to do with your life isn’t going to harm anyone and you have the means to support yourself while doing it, what is stopping you?

Of course, you shouldn’t care what I think, it is up to you.

❤️ Picks of the Week

📝 Article - The Best Fat Loss Article on the Motherf**kin’ Internet. This article was shared in Ali Abdaal's newsletter last week. The health industry is full of BS so it is refreshing to see an article that cuts to the point and is entertaining too. I am going to have to go back and read his other articles too at some point.

📝 Article - Ten Charts I Can't Stop Thinking About. I am subscribed to the Perspectives newsletter and there are some really thought-provoking graphs shared this week. I thought gender diversity in software engineering was getting better but that doesn't seem to be the case. It is interesting to see how it has changed over the past 40 years.

👨‍💻 Latest from me

Even though my channel has reached 1,000 subscribers it still isn't monetised. I need another 2,168 watch hours to be eligible. I should get there in the next couple of months but it is going to be a while before it will pay the bills.

So I can stay in this for a while, I have started a Patreon page. Fans will get their name added to the end of my YouTube videos and on my website. I will also be offering exclusive content on my Patreon page and will be giving discounts to fans when my courses come out.

The first person to sign up will also get a shout-out in my YouTube video and on my other social media channels.

🎬 YouTube - Top 5 Programming Languages to Learn in 2023 (to Get a Job). There are hundreds of programming languages but only a few are actually used by the majority of companies. Make sure you are learning the right language if you are looking to get a job this year.

📝 Article - 1000 Subscribers in 5 months: My Strategy. On average it takes 15 months to get to 1000 subscribers. In this article, I cover in depth what I have done to get to 1000 subscribers so quickly.

💬 Quote of the Week

As you move past the local minima and maxima, you’ll soon be beating out the 50% that quit at X time, the 75% that quit at Y time, and the 90% that quit at Z time. Soon enough, you’ll be the great one that was once just “good” among the rest, but stuck with it and learned something along the way.

From How to Be Great? Just Be Good, Repeatably. Resurfaced with Readwise.

This post is from my weekly newsletter The Curious Engineer where I share my insights as an engineer turned entrepreneur and the lessons I am learning along the way.