it's not you, i just need some space...

hey.

i know i've been ghosting you. 

but.

i miss you.

seriously.

i meant what i said. 

it wasn't you.

it was me.

i just needed some space.

to figure some things out for myself.

i know it wasn't fair of me to just leave like that for 2 weeks.

without saying anything.

but. 

it gave me time to think about things.

and i've realized something.

i'm tired of just going through the motions of this.

this newsletter.

the youtube.

the twitter. 

i mean...i've been pumping out newsletters like a freaking machine every since i posted my first ever article online way back on January 20th of this year.

and then there's youtube.

i haven't known what it means to be a youtuber without uploading every single day since my first video on April 2nd. 

158 daily uploads. 

crazy, right?

i know i committed to a full year of videos.

and i know i committed to a newsletter every week.

but what i've realized is this...

i've been so focused on the "content" that i lost sight of the "creation."

and it's the act of creating that is by far the most fun for me.

so here's how i'm planning on operating going forward...

i'm being kinder to myself about deadlines.

and i'm focusing on quality over quantity.

i know what i said before...

quantity leads to quality.

and i still believe that.

but i'm at the point now where i have enough quantity to know what i'm doing and know what i have the most fun creating.

so it's time to focus on making sure everything i put out is a banger, or at least something that i truly care about and will have fun making.

because that's what this is supposed to be, right?

fun...?

here's how i'm going to make sure i'm following the fun:

• i'm going to post videos when i feel like they're ready.
• i'm scaling back this newsletter to weekly-ish. (emphasis on the "ish")
• i'm being more selective about what i tweet and how i deliver my ideas.

having only done this for about 2 weeks now, i can tell you this...

it's definitely the right move.

the lesson i learned in all of this is:

when you create space for yourself, you create magic.

i feel so free now to make whatever tf i want to make now that i've removed all deadlines.

there's no ticking clock in my head telling me i have to put something out by _____ date.

and funnily enough...

less "doing" is actually leading to more "doing." 

allowing myself to just "be" is causing me to generate more motivation to "do."

which is a win-win for everyone, both you and me.

more fun for you. more fun for me. 

maybe you don't believe in the whole "less is more" thing. 

but let me put it this way...

• would you rather have boring flavorless chicken cooked right out of the pack?
• or fire-grilled chicken that has been marinating for 2 days in a chipotle-seasoned buttermilk? 

yea, next question.

that being said, i'm going to let my ideas marinate a bit before putting them out into the world.

which means you're going to hear from me less often.

but whatever i send out: videos, newsletters, tweets...

i'm going to make sure of 2 things:

1. i have fun creating it.

2. you have interacting with it.

hope you're doing well, btw.

and i hope you enjoyed reading this.

i had fun writing it :) 

that's all for today's Ward's World.

now i have some filming to do for "my return to youtube" video, which is going to drop at some point this week. 

...or whenever it's ready. 

stay tuned, pal.

-Ry