Fear.
Sneaky emotion, it is.
I knew of live broadcasting on sites like Facebook, Periscope and YouTube for months. But I avoided diving into the live broadcast game.
I cowered to my fear of criticism.
I worried about trolls finding me, criticizing me and exposing me through live broadcasts.
I resisted the fear.
The fear grew.
Eventually, I hit the broadcast button, went live and fell in love with live broadcasting.
Video
Watch the video from the Upper West Side of NYC.
I discuss this concept from a shadowy apartment.
The Live Broadcast Fear
You may hate how you look on camera. You may hate how you sound on video.
But if you are human, and not enlightened, you likely harbor some fear of criticism. Maybe a terror. Maybe a slight tremor. But some fear of being criticized exists in virtually all people.
Hitting the broadcast button for the first time helped me dive into the fear. Not so bad. I came to love doing live videos.
But being criticized by unhappy, unclear folks who projected their fears onto me was the most uncomfortable and direct way to purge the fear of criticism and its surrounding fears I had clung to.
Being criticized is the simplest technique to get over the fear of criticism.
Being criticized does not elicit a a pleasant feeling. You may fight the person. Or maybe you feel embarrassed. Maybe you feel self-conscious. Or combative, or ashamed, or like a fraud.
Whatever the emotions, these feelings arise in a live setting when doing broadcasts, and even though most bloggers keep their cool it feels unpleasant to be skewered in a live video setting.
Accept this Fact
I saw the fun and love I spread through live videos. Sure I saw the traffic, and sales, and comments and clients and sweet increases in all things Blogging From Paradise.
The benefits of doing live videos grew stronger than my fear of criticism, so I started doing live broadcasts.
Some critics tried to roast me. I sat with the feelings, even though I wanted to squirm from the negative emotions I felt after being criticized, and I cleared these energies. Not entirely. But largely.
Clearing a heavy chunk of my criticism fear alerted me to this truth: I am the mirror. I simply reflect back to an individual what they do not like about themselves.
If someone comes along and leaves a snarky comment on Periscope about your alleged low number of views, said individual feels unhappy about some life struggle, in their experience. Their criticism has everything to do with them and nothing to do with you.
Remember; you’re the mirror, not the object of the criticism.
Being with criticism is the only way to make this realization. You need to clear the fear and dissolve the sting to see clearly.
Important Note
Live video is an authentic, genuine, powerful medium for inspiring people, for being human, for being vulnerable and for being open.
Do not misuse this platform by fighting critics, skewering critics or making fun of critics because these people are in pain. Critics fear, predominantly. Otherwise, they would not hide behind avatars and funny names taking cheap shots.
Critics are not cowards. Critics are afraid, and lash out in their terror, at you. The lashing out may appear to be courage, or boldness, but it is false bravado, supported by a house of cards.
Don’t even take the high road. Just be compassionate with critics who appear to toss a volley your way during a live video. Note a critical comment. Move on to the next moment, offering service and inspiration to your viewers.
With practice, you will release the fear of criticism to become a live broadcast and traffic generating dynamo.