Streaming: Lifestyle, Impact and Consequences

When you make a decision in your life, it can really have some consequences, especially a big one, such as starting to stream or even trying to become a professional streamer in the long run.
A choice such as this one will definitely affect you, but also your friends and family. It very well might change the way they see you and maybe even the way you see yourself. But how? Lifestyle and the impact it has had on myself

I feel as though producing live content has allowed me, and enabled me, to better myself and improve on some key aspects that were previously in disarray. This isn't to say that it hasn't also messed with my daily routine or habits to some degree. For example, as previously stated, I started streaming, also with the intent to overcome a temporary slump in my life which had kind of left me ‘down’, with a not-so-optimistic view of things to come, but one I also wanted to overcome and be done with, especially when I got news of impending membership to ‘the parenthood club’, lol.

So yeah, when I got the awesome news that I was to become a dad, I vowed that I needed to do whatever it took to overcome some psychological hurdles that had been holding me back, not just the financial ones, you know? So stepping out of my little bubble, forcing myself outside my comfort zone, was a crucial point I wanted to achieve and get confident enough that I could later teach, and tell my daughter, that she too was strong, had a will to her, that she could put her mind to something, pursue it and, given plenty of hard work and determination, achieve it. I started getting better, pretty much right after I made this decision. It’s not perfect, but my creepy companion, anxiety, has all but subsided in most situations (if not all of them), I am more confident in my own ability to follow through on stuff I say and promises I make, as well as trusting that others will sometimes recognize my merit and hard work put into something if I freaking do it, and believe in it, instead of wussin' out or giving up because not everything works out… It has also improved, or rather, restored, some of my social interactions as my anxiety had left some of those a little bit more rusty and awkward, but they’re now back to their former state, along with a happy, helpful and social Joe. So, what has actually happened to my life?
Some of the routine and the amount of work that goes into what I do, is not fully perceived by the audience, or viewer-base. They mean well, they just can’t see all of the ‘behind-the-scenes’ stuff, so… either they’re very fast-paced individuals and workers, who are plenty good at multitasking and think I’ll do things in a jiffy, or they never streamed before, but, either way, they’re not at fault but still kind of misjudge the amount of hours I sink into trying to be the best I can, for the channel and for them.

Should this make me privileged or should they worship me? I know that’s how it sounded, hence this joke, but to be honest, it’s not what I meant, at all. It’s just a preamble for me to actually explain that sometimes it’s tough, when it happens with your close real-life friends or family too.

Content production does take a lot of work, while Streaming and community-building even more-so. All of this on top of already trying to fit in 5-6h of freelance work, whilst standing on that famous knife-edge that is ‘starting/continuing’ to look for a steady job and still trying to be a good and present father in my newborn daughter’s life, helping her learn and be able to process such ridiculous amounts of information coming her way these first few months. That said, all of this work takes its toll and sometimes I can only finish stuff very late at night, especially the stream since I love my American continent audience, putting a slight stress on some relationships with people closer to home. This has, thankfully, been changing and people are starting to understand why I do Live Streaming, and how much I love it, as well as the amount of work that goes into it, but I too must strive to understand their Point of View and attempt to achieve the perfect balance so as to not ‘forget’ the physical, amazing, loved ones in my life, as well as the newly loved community I created through my channel. Lack of time, work-shuffling and time-juggling are therefore the biggest changes I’ve seen almost instantly. My mood has improved though, also my ambitions and dreams are awake, I’m feeling better than I did before and actually consider myself a better person and more balanced individual now. The thing I love the most is that I actually think I’m even a more qualified parent now. I have the will, determination and confidence to face more things and situations outside my comfort bubble and can be loving, kind but also serious or even strict when need-be. When it's all said and done, I really do have some of my community to thank, for some good advice, not all of it stream related, and some of them for being fantastic role-models as people AND parents.