Things Have To Change

I don't really know how to start this vlog because this isn't like a hey, got a cool, exciting vlog for you today because this is one I've been kind of sitting with and thinking about and trying to figure out the way to convey it. And I believe it was last week, I saw Cody Wanner post a video that was kind of like the dark side of YouTube and that inspired me a little bit and I shared it in the community page. I don't know if some of you watched it, but I've been experiencing something of late that I've read a lot about and heard a lot about and it seems to be something that a lot of YouTubers go through and that's big or small and it's YouTube burnout. It's a big thing and it's something that some of the larger creators have experienced and been very, very outspoken about and it's something that has definitely been affecting me. I just wanna talk about that, lay it out here for you guys a little bit and talk about how I plan to move forward from this and how I plan to change things up with my content, but also with my frame of mind when it comes to creating videos. All that being said, I love making videos. It's just a passion I've always had and it's been birthed more and more and more with every video, but I've been falling victim to the YouTube trap of chasing the algorithm and the algorithm is something that's so elusive and it's almost like a bit of a drug. You upload a video, it does well, you're checking your creator app and it's doing well and you're excited, you're engaging with comments and then you upload something that you think is an incredible video and it's not getting the views, maybe not getting the likes or the comments and you're confused and you begin to pay attention more to that than you do the actual art and craft and content you're making. I've made videos that I love that have done poorly and I've made videos that I didn't care too much for and they did really well and that's the problem I'm running into is making videos that I don't care for is not good and that's where the channel has kind of veered to a little bit when it pertains to tournament updates and recaps and those videos are boring and I'm sure some people like hearing how I play and I appreciate that but there's no way for me as a creator to make it creative and exciting. Pop a little bit of B-roll, talk about the round, a little bit of B-roll, talk about the round. That's just repetitive and I don't want to be making the same videos over and over again and I kind of had this realization the last tournament I played. So after the Florida Elite video we made in our practice round, I filmed an entire vlog. I didn't want to upload it because it was just the same thing. How I played is irrelevant. When I play well and talk about it or I play poorly and talk about it, it's kind of the same content. Yes, when I play well, people are very like, yes, there's a sense of gratification for all of us and when I play poorly, there's this sense of encouragement for all of us and that's special but that doesn't need to be exclusive for making videos. That can happen on Twitter or on Instagram or anything like that. The point of me making a YouTube channel and making YouTube videos is because I love making videos and I want to help people with their golf games. Making these videos that are just like recaps of my tournaments, maybe there's a small portion that can help people learn from that but it's just boring content and it's uninspired content and it's content that I was doing basically to chase the algorithm. That realization paired with a realization I had after Texas, I went to Texas and had a blast. Filming with Brody Smith was amazing. Filming with the Lunkers crew, the Guggen crew, that was so awesome. Two experiences that I'll never forget but the reason I went there was to play a tournament and film because I was there but what happened basically was I went there to film and the tournament was something just to fill the time in between filming and lo and behold, I wasn't on top of my game, I wasn't focused and that was something that was really eye-opening to me and it made me take stock of what I'm doing because I have an opportunity in front of me that I can chase this dream for a little bit longer. I've got a sponsor that's backing me and wanting to see me succeed but my work ethics is going well and my tournaments are inconsistent but if making videos is taking over from my tournament play, that's a problem. I'm going to stop making videos during tournaments because maybe it's distracting me a little bit but it's just making me make videos for the sake of making videos and that's where the YouTube burnout comes from and when you're burnt out, you struggle across the board and it's definitely showing in my golf game. So I want this channel to continue, obviously I love interacting with you, I love getting feedback of people playing great golf but I also want to show just how fun golf is and I think that's the Guggen squad video, those part three matches this summer, golfing with Brody, having fun with Ben for two weeks and showing the matches we play, that's the content that inspires me because it's ever-changing. No two matches are alike and how you film matches will never be alike and the golf courses will never be alike, how you want to show a golf course and make golf fun and exciting and interesting for people that maybe are on the fence about getting into golf. If the videos that we can make in this community grow the game and get people playing golf and winning, practice stuff, obviously I love doing that and that's gonna stay because I want to see you guys play better golf and if my experience and how I work on my game will help you I'm gonna keep doing that. So that's kind of where the content will shift to. Obviously that stuff's already existed but that stuff's gonna basically happen a little bit more. The tournament side of things, that's gonna be for my own personal pursuits and maybe there'll be times when I want to showcase how I played in a tournament or show an amazing area or a golf course. There's no rules but I'm having to put myself and hold myself accountable to pump the brakes on these tournament update vlogs because I need to make a video. I set a goal to make 100 videos this year and when I hit pause basically after the Florida Elite video I had made 118 videos in 315 days. That's like a video every two and a half days. That's a lot of videos and I don't think I just make quantity over quality videos. I think the videos I make I put a lot of effort into it but that's a lot of effort that's being taken away from my golf game, from my family, from my relationships and what the YouTube algorithm has done has forced me to kind of pay attention to that more than anything else and fixate on the numbers and the growth and fixate on the Instagram growth and all that stuff and it's just something that you need to put your foot down and say no more because when I started this channel I made videos with no one watching and I just made videos because I like making videos so I'm gonna go back to doing that and if that means videos talking about the books I'm reading that are inspiring me and motivate me, that's what it means. If it means travel hacks, lifestyle hacks, that's what it means. If it means just travel vlogging, that's what it means but above all I'm a professional golfer and I wanna show you guys into my world but I think the world I wanna show you is how I can have fun on the golf course playing matches with people of all calibers, showcase these beautiful golf courses I'm fortunate enough to play but also use my experience and my training and my work to help you guys become better golfers because that is the best part of this channel. I didn't anticipate that being the case. I didn't anticipate that ever happening but that's what happens. I get messages, I get comments of people winning tournaments, scores dropping down. That's the best. So I wanna bring the focus back to that and take the focus a little bit off my tournament play. If people are really concerned with how I play in tournaments, they can check online. Like all these scores are posted online. I do post on my Patreon, my schedule and I think what I'm gonna do for my patrons on the Patreon page is maybe do like a monthly video where I just sit in front of the camera and just talk about, hey, this is what I played and how I played in this tournament, this is how I played in that tournament because my patrons are supporting me more than just thumbs up and comments. They're actually taking money out of their pocket, anywhere from two to $50 a month because they wanna see me pursue and reach my dreams. So I wanna give them something back that's more than just my schedule. So that'll be something that'll be over on the Patreon page like a little exclusive thing, just maybe monthly. Even if it's a live stream, just talking about how things went that month. I think that takes away a bit of the pressure of creating an exciting vlog while I'm playing a tournament and thinking in the round, how am I gonna talk about this after I get off the golf course? When am I gonna talk about this? Do I even wanna talk about this? That's all gone. Just like a monthly download for the patrons. Even if it's just a blog entry or a video entry, I think that's something that I will put onto the Patreon page for those people that are graciously supporting me with their finances. I've taken some time off. It's nice to be back. The mustache is going. Shaved it off. Kelly and I had engagement photos that we took. So didn't wanna have a mustache and engagement photos. But I thank everyone that donated and supported and grew a mow as well. That mow I grew was pretty impressive. So a week without it isn't the end of the world. We're still raising a lot of money. So thank you guys very, very much. And let me know down below what you think of this. I don't need support, pats on the back. You'll hang in there. I'm doing good. The burnout is gone. I'm able to focus on what I need to focus on right now. I just wanna hear your thoughts on ideas, things you'd like to see about practice or matches or fun things like that. That's what I'd like to see down below. Please give this video a thumbs up. It does make a difference. Don't fret. If there's a good tournament that happens, I'm gonna let you know. I'm gonna make a video. Like when we won a tournament, I'm gonna make a little video that's like, hey, we won, obviously. Guys, I love you guys. You guys are keeping me going with this channel, with my golf career. And I'm forever indebted and grateful. And I thank you oh so much. And I look forward to seeing you in more vlogs. The content is gonna slow down a little bit, maybe one to two videos a week. But we'll still be seeing you on a weekly basis. So I guess guys, that's it for today. I hope you have an amazing Tuesday and I'll see you next week. Peace.