Getting over the fear of being on camera
(Transcribed from the Freelance Fairytales Podcast)
I think it’s safe to say every human being on the planet starts out with a fear of being on camera, even models, singers, and actors. Actually, many times, performers come with more social anxiety than anyone, yet they are able to get out there with the cameras rolling and get the job done. That’s because it’s all energy at the end of the day, and they’ve learned how to work in harmony with the energy of their performance and not fear the camera.
That’s why I believe every single person can get over the fear of being on camera. I was afraid to share my story for years. And I mean like 4-years. I would post pointless stuff to my instagram, trying to be a travel influencer, and none of it stuck. I felt embarrassed putting myself out there because I knew there were people in my life shit talking back from the background. I was afraid to post about Fiverr and that I was making 6-figures at age 25. But thankfully, in due to CNBC, that all changed when my story got blasted out into the world whether I was ready for it or not. By 2019, I had to no choice but to own it, and I’m so glad I was forced into that space. I am not sure how much longer I would have gone on trying to hide everything! Looking back, how silly was all of that, trying to avoid making a few people upset by my success. But we we all have to start somewhere - my point is that I get the fear, trust me! I get it more than anyone, even if you see me posting videos online every day.
Here is my advice to someone listening to this right now who is petrified to put themselves in front of the camera:
Identify Your WHY
First, you have to shift your headspace from one about you/yourself and your impression of what you look like on the camera, and focus on why you’re doing it all in the first place. Are you wanting to freelance to help other businesses? Do you want to start teaching a skill to people on social media? You need to identify your WHY. And the why needs to be about something other than yourself. How are you going to make the world a better place? Maybe you want to earn enough money to pay for your family. Providing for your family is certainly an excellent why. Regardless, identify what the why is, and realizing that putting yourself in front of the camera is merely a means to an end for that why. It’s just a tool to get there. It has nothing to actually do with you, what you look like, or what people think about you. Sure, they may see a video and judge it - but they’re really judging themselves and their own fear of being put on camera.
Once you start thinking about your why, getting on camera will become a lot easier. As you start to film more and more, and that first message comes into your DMs telling you that your video changed a person’s life, you are going to be hooked. You will sit there and giggle at the fact that you used to let potential criticism stop you from helping other people. We are spiritually designed to feel good when we help other people. It’s entirely what we’re supposed to do down here. There’s no glass of wine that can make you feel as good as knowing that you made someone else’s life better today. It’s a marvelous remedy for anxiety, unhappiness, and probably a slew of other health problems since we can create health inadequacies in our own bodies by what we think about all day in our heads.
As you continue to create this content on the camera, help other people, and dive into your divine purpose, you are going to notice something else amazing happening - you are going to develop self confidence. Studies have shown when we do something totally new to our brain and create new neural pathways, and then we go ahead and achieve a goal doing that new thing, we develop more assuredness and self confidence. We become more confident in our own creative abilities. Creativity is so essential to living a fulfilled and happy life that it should be at the core of everything you do every day. And yes, I don’t care if you’re an accountant or a bookkeeper, you too are creative. Every human being is and every human being has the power to tap into the unlimited pool of creativity that God has provided for us down here. It’s not only reserved for a few special painters and singers. They’ve just learned how to access it more fully.
Now knowing you are changing people’s lives, living your truth, and experiencing self confidence, being on camera will become second nature to you. You will be amazed at what you were always capable of - and I believe this is possible for every single human being. The problem is that 98% of people won’t take that first step to getting on the camera. They will let the fear stop them in their tracks. And that’s ok, not everyone has the same calling down here. But if you’re feeling like you want to just get out there and start posting photos and videos to really ramp up your freelancing business or really make one of your side hustles a success, then I am begging you to just get in front of that camera today.
A few good tricks could be recording TikToks that you never actually have to post. But record them as if you’re going to. Do this for 4-weeks straight. On the 29th day, tell yourself you ARE going to post a video live. Set a deadline for it. Post it and walk away from the phone if you want. If it gives you too much anxiety, put the phone down after you post it and do something like go for a walk, immerse yourself in nature where you can’t hear a single other sound from a human being. In the Power of Positive Thinking, which I just finished by Norman Vincent Peale, he says there’s a part of our spiritual brain that can only be stimulated if we go deep enough into nature that we can’t hear a car, plane, or music in the distance. It has to just be you and nature - which I know is hard to come by today. But that really stuck with me. Go on a hike after you post the video and free your mind. Go meditate and pray and thank God for the opportunity to even be alive and share your divine talents with other people. Root your mind in gratefulness and I promise you, this will all be worth it. It’s so good for you to do things that scare you. I try to do things that scare me every single week. It keeps your mind sharp and your soul elated. It’s what it means to be alive.
Being On Camera is Essential Today
Being on camera, recording videos, lives, workshops, photos, all of it is essential to starting a business today. You don’t have to pay for ads or take out loans - you just need to get in front of the camera. Trust me, there are days when I don’t want to get in front of the camera either. I don’t want to watch myself in videos all day every day. But then I shift my mind to a place of abundance and I remember what those videos are doing for other people. Do it for other people, and the rest will fall into place.
Lastly, don’t let perfectionism be the excuse either. iPhones are perfectly fine today for most content you see on social media. I do have a canon camera I use occasionally, but it is absolutely not needed. I think of creators like ItsMeTinx and VictoriaParis who have created empires off of informal, fleeting iPhone content. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You just need to start - that’s it.