What I've learned from 100 days of a live streaming experiment.
10 unconventional lessons.
My live stream experiment, Daily Reads, started as a personal challenge for the month of February—to see if I could do it. At the writing of this article (in June), I have not missed a single scheduled live stream, Monday–Friday. That has resulted in 100 days of live streaming over an almost 5 month period.
Nobody just does that.
Nobody decides they’re going to just start a live stream as a personal challenge, and then keeps going. At least, nobody I know.
But that’s what I’ve done, with three outcomes in mind:
Stream for one month.
Build onto my talent stack.
Add value to the audience.
And the outcomes have been better than I could have imagined.
I’m almost finished with my fifth month.
I’ve received repeated compliments on my commentary, energy, and hosting.
There are people who include my livestream in their routines, and have even been inspired to start their own experiments.
And with that, here is a summary of what I've learned, so far.
10 unconventional lessons from 100 days of live streaming.
1. Doing something for the first time inspires more of the same.
One of the unexpected privileges of my live stream has been the influence to help inspire others to take “risks” and run their own experiments.
Layered into that, the opportunity to provide opportunities is a privilege like no other.
2. Consistency is lowercase king.
There’s already a lot written on consistency, so here’s a reframe to keep in mind:
Consistency is lowercase king. (And Jesus is capital King.)
And the king wins in the end.
3. It’s easy when it energizes you.
This builds off of Scott Adam’s reframe, “Manage energy, not time.” It stands to reason that anything that energizes you is easy, right? I can confirm it feels that way.
I find talking about stuff in a way that people find useful is energizing. (And for anyone considering live streaming, you need that energy on the stream.)
I’m stewarding my energy with my live stream.
4. Reciprocity is a lost value.
And stewarding expectations is how you deal with it.
You are not owed anything in return for promoting someone’s work. Some give a like, some a repost, some a follow. But some people do nothing, and that’s ok. You made the choice to offer commentary, without the condition of it being reciprocated.
Whatever the case, I like to imagine people either see it and like it, or they missed the notification...
Humor aside, I do believe there is honor in simple reciprocity, and here’s an example of a man of honor:
5. People want you to win.
When people like you. (So be likeable?)
In all seriousness, I believe well adjusted people want other people to win.
Or at least not lose. And if you consider people not wanting you to lose (let’s ignore haters), then that might as well be the same as wanting you to win, right? Feels like it makes sense.
But it does help to be likeable and for people to enjoy interactions with you.
6. You can talk about about anything.
When you have filters to use. These come from living life. They’re not the same as a worldview (think of a filter being applied on top of a worldview).
Daily Reads has a few, with the following three that I’ve defined:
The Poetry Filter, which asks what’s the bigger picture, the deeper meaning, and how do the dots connect.
The Human Nature Filter, which considers we are both made in the image of a Creator, and have a fallen sin nature—and then asks how that influences our motivations.
The Personal Innovation Filter, which asks what are the transferable principles, and how can you use them in your life.
7. Believe good feedback when you hear it.
People often talk about ignoring the naysayers. (Generally speaking, yes.)
You should also listen to the compliments, and let them encourage you. It can be easy to forget or dismiss these, but I believe they are important for building momentum.
It’s ok to feel successful, even in the little things.
8. Fun is a compliment.
I’ve encountered a recurring feedback from the guests I’ve hosted: they all had fun.
These are high performers who are intentional with their time. I realized that “fun” coming from them is a huge compliment. (Which is why I now gauge my hosting on if the guest had fun or not.)
Fun coming from the right person means:
They felt honored as a guest.
They found value in the conversation.
Their contributions were worth their time.
Receiving this compliment from Anthony, a business owner, executive coach, and world class musician, was a big win.
9. Live streaming is easier than recording.
Because there’s no time to overthink about it when you’re streaming live. (Unless you want to crash and burn in spectacular fashion.)
There is something to this in the ease of authenticity. It’s easier to be yourself when you’re not worried about needing to get everything right for editing.
That said, there is one prerequisite for doing this well: confidence.
10. You can just do something without the end in sight.
When I started Daily Reads, I did not have a vision for it past one month. It was just a personal challenge.
I do have some medium term vision for it now—I figured I should be intentional about it to make the time investment more worthwhile.
But long term, I do not have an end in sight, yet. Only to continue adding value and encouraging people.
Special thanks to all the guests I have had the honor of hosting of Daily Reads conversations on their work: @thejeffcallahan (on X), Doc Hypnosis, Plain Runner, Anthony Garone, and Stephanie.
Thank you to all who have liked, reposted, and replied. Your support is appreciated.
And thank you to the writers for your articles, ideas, and art. You are making a difference, and I am grateful for your work!
Here’s a reward for making it to the end of the article—the first time I’ve been clipped: