When the world feels hopeless, the secret is to give value to people. I've had a lot of big changes this past year — deleting my YouTube channels, getting divorced, moving into my own place — and there were days I felt really down. The easiest thing that pulled me out instantly was asking: how can I help someone else?
Six chances a day to give
It's easy to look around and think it's all pretty pointless — dating is hard, making money with integrity is hard, health is hard. But what helps me is focusing on how I can give to someone else as easily as possible. Getting back on YouTube is a big part of that: I post a video on each of my six channels every day, and that's six opportunities to help someone. My crypto videos help people see clearly in a messy space; my gaming streams help people who are lonely; my dating and YouTube videos share what I'm learning. When I focus on how much I'm giving, I simply don't have time to feel hopeless.
Giving makes space to receive
When I'm hopeless, it's usually because I don't see how I'll get what I want. But when I focus on what I'm offering, I notice people show up to make sure I'm taken care of. There's endless content online, but what people really need is to talk to someone, bounce ideas off someone, and be listened to — so I set myself up to give that, and people book calls. By focusing on giving, I make space to receive, and I get to keep working and filming from home while lifting others up. If I'd only focused on my finances and my dating, it would have looked uncertain; focusing on sharing what I've learned lifts me up in the process.
It's all an adventure
In some ways it feels like I'm constantly fighting the evil in the world, but I remind myself we're part of a bigger story — all of life is a stage, and we're performing on some level. It gets hopeless when you forget this is a journey meant to be enjoyed. Some of the roughest times in my life I now look back on with nostalgia: they were hard, but they were character-building, an adventure. Lately life has been a little more difficult than usual, but the adventure has been higher than usual too, and I've loved it. So here's the programming for the next time you feel hopeless: help somebody else. And if you don't know how, ask someone for help — giving another person the chance to lift you up is its own gift. If you'd like to talk, watch my life playlist here.