Success Is Not About Trying Hard

Hi, today is the birthday of this channel and I posted our first video one year ago at the end of

April. Uh that video was a hiking and

April. Uh that video was a hiking and foraging video. And now here we are one

foraging video. And now here we are one year later with uh over half a million subscribers. Uh thanks to all you

subscribers. Uh thanks to all you viewers. Today I wanted to talk about

viewers. Today I wanted to talk about success and how success is not about trying hard. And that's a really hard

trying hard. And that's a really hard lesson uh that I learned and I continue to learn. And

learn. And um I I don't mean by success this idea of

um oh get rich, have a house, have three kids, have two cars, uh you know, typical American dream and

be able to go to Bali or or Maldes or some far away expensive place uh twice a year. I'm not talking about not talking

year. I'm not talking about not talking about success as in what our consumer culture and American

culture. Well, sorry for people who

culture. Well, sorry for people who don't live in America. I'm talking about the American dream. I'm not talking about that. I think uh George

about that. I think uh George Carlin uh the comedian I forget how the quote goes exactly but

um he says that in order to be in order to believe in the American dream like the only way you can believe in the American dream is if you're

asleep. I I think that that's that's

asleep. I I think that that's that's pretty true. uh especially now I mean

pretty true. uh especially now I mean maybe in the 1960s uh 1950s uh the American dream was

attainable not now so I'm not talking about that I'm talking about success in in in a goal like try achieving your

goal achieving something that you are um trying to do um it could be a task

It could be as simple as doing the dishes. Uh it could be as complicated as

dishes. Uh it could be as complicated as playing the guitar. Well,

uh or it could be as simple or complicated, depends on how you look at it,

as making a YouTube channel.

Um, it could be as complicated as becoming a neurosurgeon doing spine surgery or um learning how to play a

video game really well, like a multiplayer game where you compete against other humans.

Um, oh, here's another one. Uh um it could be learning to take a multiplechoice exam very well. I'll talk about that

because I know a lot of people are in school still and um need to take multiple choice tests. So, so stick around for that because it's going to be

worth your while definitely because I will give you the tips that I I use to ace those uh multiple choice

exams and that that opens a lot of doors. Okay,

doors. Okay, so what the heck are my neighbors doing? It's pretty early in the morning

doing? It's pretty early in the morning and they they're like banging on furniture or something.

Okay. Um, let's see here. F focus. Okay.

Success. Yeah. So, success, what what I'm talking about is setting a goal, trying to achieve a task and to do it in

the way that you want to do it.

Um, that is what I'm talking about for success. And I think that there is

success. And I think that there is actually a way to do it. Uh that I that I've at least it works. It seems to kind of work for

me. And I think that I don't think that

me. And I think that I don't think that I'm like super special. I'm not special.

I'm just one one human being out of like 8.2 billion people walking on this planet right now. Um, and so I think

what I learned is pro is I think applicable to everybody. Now some I've been told in my life that oh what works for what works for gooby doesn't work

for other people. So don't don't listen to him. Literally, I had somebody say

to him. Literally, I had somebody say that in front of other people when um uh when I when I I aced the

neurosurgery written boards and the written boards is like the um it's like the final exam for neurosurgeons when you're in residency. There's two.

There's a written one and then there's an oral one you take after you finish.

But I aced the written ones. And um I was trying to tell my my um I was trying to tell my fellow residents, my

classmates uh um colleagues um how I did it and how it was actually attainable and you could you could do it. But as I

was explaining it, one of my colleagues who was a year above me said, "Uh well, what applies to Gooby?" They said my name my name um at that time. What

applies to Gooby doesn't apply to you all because Gooby is on his own thing. That hurt me because I was legit

thing. That hurt me because I was legit trying to share uh I was legit trying to share something that I thought was very valuable and

that could that a lot of people could take it to heart and use. Um, and then one of my colleagues just kind of discredited me like in front of

everybody saying that what I was going to say doesn't apply. But that's not going to stop me from sharing this in this video because I think it does apply

to everybody. All right? So, it's not

to everybody. All right? So, it's not about trying hard. In fact, the harder I try, I think the worse the outcome is.

if I'm trying hard, I think that it's I'm actually I'm actually doing it wrong. And

wrong. And um there's this this kind of like myth that if you try really hard, if you put a lot of effort in, then you're going to

get results, but that's actually not true. And it's taken me many, many

true. And it's taken me many, many decades to learn that. Um

because I guess common sense wise it seems like it would it seems like if you put a lot of effort into it then you're going to reap a lot of rewards out of

it. Um but that's not actually I don't

it. Um but that's not actually I don't think that's how it works. Um what does work is

works. Um what does work is consistency in a way balanced with some

randomness, deliberateness and intuition and listening and thinking about it like reflecting. That's that's

reflecting. That's that's okay. A deliberate consistency mixed

okay. A deliberate consistency mixed with some randomness, intuition and reflection. Ah yeah okay that is that is

reflection. Ah yeah okay that is that is the secret sauce deliberate

consistency mixed with some randomness intuition and reflection that is the key to

success that I am that I I've learned that's how I make sense of it now I'm going to explain what I mean by that and give several example

examples. Okay, so let's see

examples. Okay, so let's see here.

Um, okay. To get really good at something, you have to do it because the way our brains work is um it's literally

our anatomy. How the brain works is that

our anatomy. How the brain works is that when you try something um the neural circuits, they have plasticity. that that means that our

plasticity. that that means that our brain changes the connections change as you do as you live as you do something our brain changes so that you can do it

better the next time um when you do something let's just say I am um

uh I'm trying to throw a dart I'm trying to throw the dart and trying to hit the hit the the dart board which is circle circle with targets on it. Um, and I

throw it and I don't even hit the board.

Well, a a brain signal in our cerebellum, which is back here, goes zap. Wow, Gooby, you really messed up.

zap. Wow, Gooby, you really messed up.

You didn't even hit you didn't even hit the target. You hit the the wall. You

the target. You hit the the wall. You

made a hole in the wall. Our brain sends a signal. It's

wall. Our brain sends a signal. It's

actually in the cerebellum. these cells called perkingi

cerebellum. these cells called perkingi cells. They're pretty cool. And they go

cells. They're pretty cool. And they go with electricity and then they tell your brain, "Wow, we really did not get the outcome we

wanted. So, we got to do something

wanted. So, we got to do something different next time." And then take the I take the dart

time." And then take the I take the dart out of the the wall. There's a hole there now. And then I throw

there now. And then I throw it. I hit

it. I hit bullseye. Then the brain is like whoa.

bullseye. Then the brain is like whoa.

It's there's a whole different system called the reward system. It's deep in the middle bottom um that releases dopamine. People talk

about dopamine, but this is this is how it actually works. The dopamine gets released and then it tells the brain, "Wow, whatever we just did, we got to

keep doing that because that worked."

Uh so there there's there's like two systems in the brain. Uh there's one that's like, "Hey, whatever we did, we got to keep doing that." And then the other one is like, "Wow, you really messed up. Don't ever do that again

messed up. Don't ever do that again because that that just doesn't work." So

there's these two systems that help you help us um get better at things. And then some eventually things become automatic. Like

when I'm first learning how to throw a dart, I'm really thinking, okay, I got to hold the dart this way and I got to stand this way and then I got to move my muscles this way to let it go and I got to let it go at a certain point. But if

I keep doing that over and over and over again, it becomes muscle memory. And

it's not actually muscle memory. It's

it's a memory in the brain that has been refined over many dart throws. um uh a neural pathway. Um and then then you

neural pathway. Um and then then you then then you don't even really have to be consciously thinking about a lot of stuff. You just say, "Okay, I'm going to

stuff. You just say, "Okay, I'm going to pick up the dart and I'm going to hit the target." And then you hit the

the target." And then you hit the bullseye.

Um but that takes doing it many times. Not trying hard, just doing it

times. Not trying hard, just doing it many times. You you you can do

many times. You you you can do something. You can do something and not

something. You can do something and not try very hard. Just do it many times.

Um, you could also do something and try really hard and put a lot of effort into it and sweat on it and make sure other people see that you're sweating and trying really hard. That's exhausting.

No, is this is this is not that. It's

just just doing it. If you do it many times, your brain

it. If you do it many times, your brain will figure out well it will probably figure out how

to do it well. So So number one, you got to be consistent and and keep showing up and keep trying and try many

times but not try hard. Just try like just pick up a dart and just just throw it.

Ah, that was pretty close. And pick up another dart. Th throw it. I'm not like

another dart. Th throw it. I'm not like picking up the dirt like, "Oh my god, I got to hit the bullseye. If I don't hit the bullseye, I'm going to feel so bad.

I feel so bad." Ah, no. That's trying

hard. I'm not saying trying hard. I'm

saying just try. Just pick up the dart.

Throw it. Oh, I hit the wall. Darn it.

Made another hole in the wall. Pick up

another dart. Throw it. Ah, that worked better. I wonder what what was a little

better. I wonder what what was a little different that time. Pick up another dart. Throw it. Oh, I hit the bullseye.

dart. Throw it. Oh, I hit the bullseye.

Wow, what the heck did I just do? Maybe

I maybe I can do that again. That is not trying hard, but trying many times. Um, okay. So, that's the first

times. Um, okay. So, that's the first part. You got to show up and you got to

part. You got to show up and you got to keep trying.

Um, but that's not the only thing because if you keep

trying but you don't change it up a little bit, if you do the same thing over and over and over again, well, most

likely you're going to keep sucking.

Like like let's say I pick up the dart and I do the exact same movement every time and I hit the wall. Like I don't even hit the target. I pick up another

dart and I do the exact same movement and I hit the exact same spot on the wall. I made another hole. Well, right

wall. I made another hole. Well, right

next to it. I pick up another dart and I throw it and I hit the wall again beneath the target. Well, I could keep doing that for years and keep sucking,

you know, like keep not hitting the target.

Uh, so it's not just about being consistent showing up because you could be consistently bad at whatever you're trying to do. Um, uh, so it it there is

the other parts.

Um so deliberate consistency mixed with some randomness, intuition and reflection. So um some

reflection. So um some randomness well just being alive every moment we live is slightly different. No

moment in life is the exact same as any any moment in the past. Like the now the present is unique. It's always unique.

Um, and so even if you think you're doing something the exact same way as last time, it is a little bit different.

Um, you're different, the setting's different, the time's different, the even if you're trying to do the exact same task is actually slightly different because you're different, the world's

different um, when you're trying to do it. But you could also consciously

it. But you could also consciously change things up like hold the dart slightly different way. Maybe put one foot in front of the other. Maybe uh

lean forward a little bit or lean back or stand straight. You can you can consciously

straight. You can you can consciously try to do things a little differently or there can be just the natural randomness of the changing times and the changing person.

Um and so that is partially built in, but you can also consciously add in more variability if you want to try things a different way. I'm going to hold this

different way. I'm going to hold this dart a slightly different way. Um, and

see what happens. I'm going to hold my my arm close to my chest and just use my my elbow so that there's less

movement instead of using my shoulder, too. Just try that out.

too. Just try that out.

But that that only that um randomness variability added in only helps if

you reflect on it. Now, oh intuition intuition can help you help guide you into like adjusting the variability and trying something slightly

different.

Um and Sometimes it needs to be a big difference.

Uh but not all big differences are are helpful. Like if I go and I'm

helpful. Like if I go and I'm right-handed. If I go and I say I'm

right-handed. If I go and I say I'm going to do it with my left hand, I pick up the dart and I throw it, I'm I'm probably not going to hit the target because my left hand's not as good as my

right hand. Um

right hand. Um uh so you so not all big differences are good. Um, I could also pick it up and be

good. Um, I could also pick it up and be like, I'm not even going to look at the target. I'm going to throw it behind me.

target. I'm going to throw it behind me.

You know, that that's that's a big change. It's a lot of variability, but

change. It's a lot of variability, but it's definitely not going to going to help. So, there is a

help. So, there is a um there is a intuition to help guide

the the experimentation essentially. Um,

you have to feel, trust yourself, trust your instincts. Sometimes your instincts

your instincts. Sometimes your instincts will lead you the wrong way, but then you can learn from that and then adapt and reflect, reflect on it. So, using

your intuition, trust yourself. If you

have a hunch, huh? I feel like if I stand this way and hold my elbow close to my chest and then throw the dart very precisely, I can get really

good at it if I do it a lot. That's a

hunch. That's intuition. Um, I'm not a dart thrower, so but I I think that's how I would get good at it. Um, stand in the same way.

use the fewest number of joints to to throw it so that I can get just really good at at throwing it.

Um, now it would be my intuition to try some variability, some random randomness.

Um, and then I can reflect on it. I can

see what happens and then I can I can try again. Not try hard, but try again.

try again. Not try hard, but try again.

Um there's a very there's a big difference. So let let's so that that's

difference. So let let's so that that's that's the theoretical concept I think of how to be successful. You got to show up. You got

successful. You got to show up. You got

to be consistent and you can and use intuition your in trust your instincts to experiment and try try some new things.

to see if it gets better or if it gets worse and reflect on it and and adapt accordingly. And you don't have to try

accordingly. And you don't have to try hard. You just got to try many times. Um

hard. You just got to try many times. Um

so I'm going to give some real world examples of how this has worked in my life. Now now for you students because I

life. Now now for you students because I know some some people are like, "Oh my god, I got to take the MCAT or I got to take the SAT and uh I got this multiple

choice exam for my licensing. I I've

been waiting. I've been waiting 20 minutes for Kooby to talk about this.

Okay, so I'm gonna talk about it now.

Um, multiple choice exams, they're a lot easier than um like an essay because or or something where

you have to write write the answer in. They're a lot easier because the

in. They're a lot easier because the answer is there. It's one of the choices. One of the choices is correct.

choices. One of the choices is correct.

So, you don't actually have to know the subject matter of the question to figure out which answer is correct

because it's it's there. It's one of them. And um with doing enough

them. And um with doing enough questions, enough multiple choice questions, you can eventually figure out how these questions are are written. And

then you can figure out, oh, well, um, let's say there's five choices.

Well, there's there's an obvious one that is wrong. So, you knock out one of them. And then you can you can say,

them. And then you can you can say, okay, well, there's four now. And this

one probably is one that the test maker is trying to trick me. Like, it seems like the easy one that would would would make sense, but it's probably not. So,

you get that one out, and then you're like, okay, there's three left.

And then you can look at how they're worded and you can figure out, okay, well, these two are similar or this this one's different or something like that.

And then you can say, well, then this one's probably the correct answer. Or or

maybe you're just stuck with three and then you're like, I don't know between those three, but you've narrowed it down from five. So now you have a 33% chance

from five. So now you have a 33% chance of being correct instead of um 20%.

Yeah. Now you just increased your odds quite quite a bit.

Um and if you can narrow it down to two, then you got a 50% chance of being correct, which is a lot better than 20%.

Um, the way that you figure out how to kind of mind readad what the qu the question writer how the question writer forms this question and the answers is by

doing the questions over and over and over again and looking at the answer immediately after you do the question.

That's the key. This is the key. This is

what I was trying to tell my neurosurgery colleagues, residents, when they were trying to study for the boards. And then my my guy above me shot

boards. And then my my guy above me shot me down for everybody. It was quite rude, honestly. I was trying to share

rude, honestly. I was trying to share some valuable information, but I'm sharing it now. If you have a multiple choice exam, just get your hands on a

whole bunch of questions and answers.

And what you do is you look at the question, you look at the answers, you give it your best

shot, I think is choice B. And then you go to the answers and

B. And then you go to the answers and you like you look at the answers and you're like, okay, this question, the correct answer was actually C. Then you

go back to the question and you be like, huh, it was C. So C is the correct one.

Why did I choose B? Oh, I got tricked there. Or maybe I

B? Oh, I got tricked there. Or maybe I just didn't Maybe I just didn't know.

Maybe it was between B and C and it was like 50% chance. I'm like, okay, well now I know that for this question C is

the correct answer. Just file that away.

Then I go to the next question. So by

doing that I am engaging the perkingi neurons in the cerebellum and the the reward the dopamine neurons in

the reward center uh of the brain. Uh

and I I'm I'm either telling my brain, whoa, I messed up there. We got to do something different next time. Uh or I'm saying ah I got it

right. Now if I get it right I just move

right. Now if I get it right I just move on. If I get it wrong, I circle a

on. If I get it wrong, I circle a question. Um, and then then I move on.

question. Um, and then then I move on.

And then I go through the whole set of questions for that test. And then what I do is I I would go back and I would do only the ones that I got wrong, the ones

I circled. And it's funny because uh by

circled. And it's funny because uh by the time you've done the whole test and then you go back and then you do the ones that you did wrong um many times

I've forgotten what the correct answer was uh because it's been a while. Uh,

and so sometimes I still get it wrong.

And if I get it wrong again, I leave it circled and I go to the next circled question. And then if I get it right,

question. And then if I get it right, then I erase the circle. And then I go all the way through the the the set of questions. And then I go back to

questions. And then I go back to whatever was still circled until I keep doing that until I get everything right.

Um, now that's that is the key. If you

do that many times, it doesn't matter what multiple choice test. It could be the SAT, it could be a nurse surgery written boards, it could be um some like

licensing for some mechanic job. Uh I

don't know, it could be a a welding uh written test.

uh doesn't matter if you can if you can do many questions many times in that way you will you will get a a very good

score um well that's not a guarantee but that is I think how you get a very good score

um it's not a guarantee that you'll get it but that is a very high likelihood that you'll get a pretty pretty darn good score if not like an excellent score.

Um, if you do that now, the temp what most people do is they go through every single question and then they tally up they

write all their answers down and then at the end of doing all the tests and they go back and then they look at all all the answers in a row and then they they

mark which ones they got wrong. That is

a very inefficient way of using what our brain does. So it's much better to do

brain does. So it's much better to do one question and look at the answer and then use your brain to figure out, oh, I did something wrong or I did

something right and then go to the next question and then look at the answer and then the next question and then look at the answer. Now, it does require

the answer. Now, it does require flipping if you got a book, flipping the pages back and forth each time or um if you're on the computer going to the

answer. Well, it's probably easier on

answer. Well, it's probably easier on the computer.

Um but yeah, that that is for you students. That's how

students. That's how you that's how you ace the SAT or whatever kind of multiple choice exam.

Um you just do that many times and oh and and um it is necessary to kind of know the subject matter but for multiple

choice exams you can learn what you need to learn from the questions. Um, a lot of people like including myself have in the past have have um said, "Well, actually, I'm going to read all these

books and then I'm going to start doing the the test questions because um I need to know the stuff." Uh

uh so I'm going to spend like twothirds of my time reading and then learning all the material and then maybe a third of the time or less doing the questions. Uh

if your goal is to do well on the on the test, that's actually the wrong way to do it. You want to spend maybe like a

do it. You want to spend maybe like a quarter of your time actually reading the material and like going through it and then learning it as best you can and then spend three quarters of your time

doing test questions because that's actually how you're going to do well on the exam. Uh that's counterintuitive. Uh,

exam. Uh that's counterintuitive. Uh,

it's also a lesson of trying hard because if if I if I think, oh, I'm going to read every single page of every textbook. I'm going

to try so hard and it's going to pay off. Well, it doesn't work that way.

off. Well, it doesn't work that way.

Trying hard doesn't pay off. Trying well

in a very deliberate way pays off. Um,

and many time trying many times. Uh, so,

okay, that's the student one. Let's see

here. Um, video games. Video games are fun. Um, uh, I've talked about being,

fun. Um, uh, I've talked about being, uh, using video games as a crutch to run away from emotional issues and and, uh,

situations in life that I I I was not very happy about. Um, that's not good. I

I don't recommend using video games to run away from things.

Uh uh but video games can be entertain entertaining. They can stimulate your

entertaining. They can stimulate your mind and they can be a complicated problem that's fun to do and uh keeps your mind active. And for me um video

games um is a way to socialize. I I have a group of friends online that I've played with for over a decade and

um um I I've gone back to playing some with my friends um regularly um but for just like a set number of hours like two

or three hours um most days and it's kind of like my social time where I hang out with my friends that I've hung out with for many years and we chat and talk

and laugh and have a good time playing this game that this video game. It's

called PUBG or Player Unknown Battleground.

Um, and we're all pretty decent at it.

Um, we're not like esports champions or anything. Um, but we have fun and we

anything. Um, but we have fun and we enjoy each other's company and it's an entertaining game. In this game also, if you try

game. In this game also, if you try hard, you just make it harder for yourself. Um, like you could you it's a

yourself. Um, like you could you it's a shooting game. You could have like you

shooting game. You could have like you could you could put on you could equip yourself with like a sniper rifle where you have

to have exquisite aim and timing because you you have one bullet and as soon as you fire the bullet um it takes a while to reload for the

next bullet. Um uh and but the bullet is

next bullet. Um uh and but the bullet is very powerful and if you hit the enemy um they get a lot of damage and so you

can defeat them. Well, that's trying hard. Um

them. Well, that's trying hard. Um

because you have to get your aim perfect for each bullet. Um and that takes time and if you miss there's a lot of time before you can send the next bullet.

That's trying hard. Um, what's not trying hard, but what's trying a lot is using like a machine gun that shoots a lot of bullets very quickly. Um, but

also over a pretty good distance, maybe not as far as a sniper rifle. Um, but

through many tries, you can adjust your aim and hit your target. Uh, and they may not hit as hard as a sniper bullet, but you've had so many more tries to hit

your target.

with a machine gun that uh it makes it much easier. Now, it has some drawbacks.

much easier. Now, it has some drawbacks.

It's slower. You're not as mobile.

slower. You're not as mobile.

Um it may not have the range or damage, but that is is much better uh at overall

overall of of winning the game. You're

not trying as hard. You're just trying many times.

um and and adapting adapting to what you see in front of you.

Um and showing up like uh my wife and I were and and Doobie, we

were gone um van camping and for the last five days and then um so I haven't played with my friends and then I came back. Yes, yesterday and I played with

back. Yes, yesterday and I played with my friends and I was definitely rusty.

Um, we still won two games. Uh, at the end of the game it says winner winner chicken dinner. So, we got two chicken

chicken dinner. So, we got two chicken dinners even though I don't eat chicken but um still got winner winner chicken dinner uh twice and uh it felt good but

I was rusty. Um I could tell I was rusty. It took me some time. Um so

rusty. It took me some time. Um so

consistency is important. but also

trying many times but not trying hard and adapting uh reflecting on the results. YouTube has been very

results. YouTube has been very interesting. I think this is the last

interesting. I think this is the last real life example I will I don't want to talk about surgery um because honestly that was a pretty painful part of my life and I don't I don't really want to

talk about um surgery. Um, so I'm gonna talk about

um surgery. Um, so I'm gonna talk about YouTube. Uh, YouTube YouTube has been

YouTube. Uh, YouTube YouTube has been fun. I want to talk about fun things

fun. I want to talk about fun things because I I think, you know, I'm only going to live one time. Well, in this

body, I don't know if I get reincarnated or not. Uh, but I I know I have only one

or not. Uh, but I I know I have only one time in this body as Gooby. Um, and so I want to have fun. I want to be happy. I

want to feel I want to feel good. I want

to be I want to be safe with some shelter and have some yummy food. Maybe

have a beer.

Um hang out with my friends, hang out with Doobie and my wife and take care of my body, stay healthy, and think of fun things and and

um laugh, have some joy in my life. So, I'm

not going to talk about being good at surgery because that that was honestly a pretty tough part of my life. YouTube's

fun. Again, this is the one year birthday of this channel and so I have made a lot of videos. Gosh, I I don't

know how many videos I've made, but I think it's in the 300s, but I'm not sure if that includes

um might be 200s. Um, I'd have to look it up. I'm not sure if that includes

it up. I'm not sure if that includes shorts, um, or if it's just the long form. Might be 200 some long form

form. Might be 200 some long form videos. Um, but I've I've tried all

videos. Um, but I've I've tried all kinds of things. I've done hiking videos, foraging videos, nature, like

water ASMR kind of um, videos like water sound videos. Done. Um, talking videos,

sound videos. Done. Um, talking videos, talking head videos like this, talking head videos out in nature. Um, talking

videos while walking and hiking. Um, uh,

play some music. I played, uh, uh, told some stories. I've done oh recently the

some stories. I've done oh recently the very last one I did a um uh kind of like a beer tour

documentary uh where I traveled uh and tried some different beers from different breweries

that are local. That was

fun.

Um did I try hard? Well, I tried hard in editing

hard? Well, I tried hard in editing because it was a freaking a lot of segments. Um,

of segments. Um, uh, there were like 40 recordings, 30 or 40 recordings

I had to stitch together. So, yeah, that that's that's trying hard.

Um, but I I had fun like I enjoyed making that.

The the strange thing about okay this YouTube channel is that the the less I try like the less

effort I put into making a video usually the more recept receptive it is like the

more people want to watch it. How does that work? That go that

it. How does that work? That go that flies directly in the face of trying hard gets results. Literally the less hard I try

results. Literally the less hard I try the better the results are for the video. the less editing, the less like

video. the less editing, the less like thoughts like attempts to to or like

um pre- determined ideas of what I'm going to talk about the like literally if I just show up and I just turn on the camera, I'm like, "Okay, I want to talk about this

topic, but I don't know exactly what I'm going to talk about. I'm just going to talk about it. Turn it on. Turn on the microphone and then talk about it. That

has gotten the best response from people out of all the videos. The ones that I like I spend

videos. The ones that I like I spend hour like an hour or hours like stitching together all these beautiful shots of nature and the mountains and or like going to the brewery and and

explaining these different beers on this beer flight.

Um, and I stitch it all together and I'm like, "Okay, I'm going to go to this brewery. I'm going to go to this uh this

brewery. I'm going to go to this uh this one nature place with this blow hole in the ocean and then and then we're going to get the sunset." Like

literally, nobody cares. Oh, no. That's

not true. There's a lot of people that watch that and I I enjoyed it and I will go back and watch that video myself because I really like that video. I I

really really It reminds me of um Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. I really

liked watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. Um that that's kind of

Reservations. Um that that's kind of like the inspiration for the video, the last video, the Bruise in the PNW. Um,

and I really liked Anthony Bourdain's show and I want to do thing do something like

that. Um, and so I will keep making

that. Um, and so I will keep making videos like that where I go on a hike or something or go explore somewhere, may not even be in the mountains, might be

in the city, and then I stop by a brewery uh that's known for good beers and try it and explain what experience drinking

that beer, maybe talk with the brewers, maybe visit a hop farm, I don't something like that.

Um uh but the what I'm trying to say I I'm digressing. What I'm trying to say is

digressing. What I'm trying to say is that the videos that actually get the most views on this channel are ones like this where I just set up the camera,

turn it on, and I have somewhat of an idea of my topic and then I just talk for a while and it doesn't require much

editing. I literally just pop it into

editing. I literally just pop it into Premiere Pro and combine the audio and the video because I use a microphone

plus the GoPro or iPhone. But even I that that's even another one I I started this whole channel using just a

GoPro and a microphone and um and then I was like, "Oh, I could get better video quality with an iPhone.

Um, so, so I'm going to try mixing in the iPhone footage with the GoPro or and eventually I went to just using the iPhone.

But the thing about that is that the iPhone is the GoPro just simpler. It's simpler

and it's got a little screen next to the um the the camera lens that I can see.

uh make sure that the shot looks okay.

Whereas if I use the good lens on the iPhone, I'm looking at the back of the phone. I because if you got the selfie

phone. I because if you got the selfie version, it's not as good of a lens. I

think it might be the same, but I know you can't do like half times or two times uh magnification when you do a selfie.

Um but this this is just simple, so I'm going back to it. And then I I used some fancy microphone.

Um this this condenser mic. I used

mic. I used this for a while cuz I wanted to get better audio quality.

But but this is just one microphone. So

that there's there's um it's mono. It's

not uh stereo. whereas um you can't see it

stereo. whereas um you can't see it right now cuz it's underneath the GoPro.

This is the it's a it's a field recording. It's a H1 Essential. Um it's

recording. It's a H1 Essential. Um it's

a little tiny field recording device with two microphones that go this way so you can hear left and right. That's what

I used on that viral video uh of me quitting neurosurgery. this set up

quitting neurosurgery. this set up almost exactly with a different tripod because I set it on a rock at that time and I was just standing up next to the rock talking to the camera. And that's

essentially what I'm doing today is I set up a bigger tripod because I don't have a rock in my living room. Set up a bigger tripod so I can stand up and I got the GoPro and I got the same

microphone. So, it's literally the same

microphone. So, it's literally the same setup, same audio. All right. This is so much simpler than the other setup I had with this big boom and this big

condenser mic and then using the iPhone camera which I can't see exactly what it's seeing but is better quality.

That's trying hard.

So, with this YouTube channel, um, now that it is the one-year birthday, um, I reflected on all the videos that

I've made to now and thinking about what works and what doesn't work. I really like the ASMR and water videos, but honestly,

people don't really watch them very much. And every time I post it, there's

much. And every time I post it, there's like people unsubscribed from I guess getting it in their feed. I'll still post them once in a

feed. I'll still post them once in a while, but there is something that I I I've been kind of I kind of like figuring out this

YouTube algorithm. It's it's become a game to

algorithm. It's it's become a game to me, like very entertaining game. Like I

I like playing this PUBG game with my friends. Uh but this YouTube algorithm

friends. Uh but this YouTube algorithm is very it's very interesting, intriguing. Um what do people want to

intriguing. Um what do people want to watch? What do people enjoy watching and

watch? What do people enjoy watching and listening to? Like what audio gets

listening to? Like what audio gets people to listen and and keep watching and clicking.

Um, I find that interesting. It's an

interesting game to me. Um, I like talking to talking through these things because I learn something and I get to share with

other people and maybe they learn something. My goal is not to help people

something. My goal is not to help people because I I've made videos about when you help somebody, they you help someone

repeatedly, then they um they can come back and hurt you. Um

uh it is this weird life fact that the people that are most likely to want to hurt you are is someone that you've helped repeatedly.

Okay, it's so bizarre. I've made a video about that if you're interested. It's I

think it's called some people I helped later on tried to hurt me or something like that. But that is such an interesting

that. But that is such an interesting part of life. So I'm not making these videos. I used to make these videos to

videos. I used to make these videos to try to help people. But I realized that that's not a

people. But I realized that that's not a good idea. Um people can help

good idea. Um people can help themselves. I'm going to help myself.

themselves. I'm going to help myself.

I like making these videos because I learn something and it's fun for me. And

it's fun to try to figure out the YouTube algorithm to me. And if somebody gets helped by this, that's great. And

if they don't, that's great, too, because I'm having fun. I'm doing

something that I find intriguing. I'm

trying to figure out this YouTube algorithm. I'm also trying to figure out

algorithm. I'm also trying to figure out life and sort through my own thoughts and figure out what works and what doesn't. And

I'm showing up regularly. Actually, I

this last uh four this last four months, I haven't been showing up as regularly to YouTube.

Um um I was just going through some stuff in my personal life. Um well and as a US citizen um uh but my my personal life

too. Uh but a lot of those things in my

too. Uh but a lot of those things in my personal life have resolved and gotten better. Um and

so I have more bandwidth to think about things that I like doing, I enjoy doing that bring me joy. And making these videos is one of them. And trying to

figure out the YouTube algorithm is also one of them. Uh, and sorting through my thoughts is very useful to me. Might be

useful to you, but that's not why I'm making it.

You can help yourself. I'm going to help myself, too.

yourself. I'm going to help myself, too.

Um, and I care about you, but you can help yourself.

Um, so that is that is my video on success. Success is not about trying

success. Success is not about trying hard. It's about a deliberate

hard. It's about a deliberate consistency mixed with some randomness, intuition and reflection. Well, I hope you have a good

reflection. Well, I hope you have a good day or evening wherever you are. Bye.

are. Bye.