In the very first episode of Favourite Positions, we hear from Zach Hyland, Director + Content Producer. At just 18 years old, Zach works for himself creating content for brands which he choses to collaborate with. From Greenpeace to Gary Vee, his talent clearly speaks for itself as he’s finding himself in high demand. Zach’s interesting upbringing has played a huge part in his confidence and ability to self motivate, balance work and life, as well as see the good in all things.
This episode highlights how vital it is to make time each day to do something you love.
Listen here on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Find Zach's life and career advice below.
Zach's life advice
01. Trial writing and reading affirmations
Don't underestimate the power of writing a positive message to yourself and reading it back (you can even share the message with those around you to lift their mood, too, like Zach does)
02. Plan your fit
Try laying out your outfit the night before so you can have a peaceful morning
03. Don't skip on work:life balance, even if you love your job
Have something you look forward to each day and if it's a work heavy day then arrange something to help balance work and play, such as seeing your friends, listening to music or doing some physical activity. It's important to keep up with relaxation and hobbies outside of work, even if you really enjoy your work. You're not meant to live to work, you'll be the best version of yourself if you prioritise balancing your job and the things you love outside of it, too
Zach's career advice
01. Be friendly and flexible when establishing clients
If you're going freelance then the relationships you build will be your most valuable investment. Zach's approach is not to approach people with a hard sell, even if he'd like them to be his clients. He focuses on getting to know them, both on a professional and a personal level. He has no expectations that his chats with them will result in work but simply makes an effort to create a positive relationship with them. Trust is then built and when they look to enlist someone with his skillset, he comes to mind
02. Quit saying you're 'aspiring' and call yourself what you want to be known as, e.g 'I am a videographer'
Zach realised that he was holding himself back when he first started producing and creating content by telling people he met that he was 'aspiring' to get into his line of work. If you're creating films then you're a film maker, if you're painting then you are an artist, if you're writing then you are a copy writer. As we discuss in the podcast, getting rid of the word 'aspiring' when describing yourself as you start out is similar to the well known concept, 'fake it til you make it' but it's less 'fake it' and more 'do it'. You will be taken seriously if you take yourself seriously, so what are you waiting for? There is no better time to start doing what you want to do than today
03. Take baby steps
'You don't have to go from 0 to 100 in one step', Zach tells us. No matter what it is that you're looking to learn or improve on, you can take baby steps and be proud that you're working towards your goals
Steven Bartlett, businessman, entrepreneur, television and podcast personality famously said that he's obsessive about making small changes and improvements that will lead to great changes in the future. He said he was always guided by the question:
'How can I be 1% better today at the thing I’m doing?'
With his podcast, 'The Diary of a CEO', Steven and his team kept trying to improve by 1% a day. He said 'we knew then we’d be number one based on our trajectory'. He added, 'now it’s number one in every chart because we’re obsessive about the 1%'
The small changes, or baby steps, might seem minuscule and like they're not going to make a difference in getting you to where you want to go but that couldn't be further from the case. Taking manageable, little steps towards your goals will be easier for you to keep up
Want to build a freelance business? Focus on growing your confidence in speaking to people first, rather than trying to land 10 big clients immediately
Want to launch a new website? Focus on writing the copy for your site, page by page, first, rather than trying to design and publish the site in one go
Want to release a film? Focus on mastering your camera techniques first, rather than filming, editing and promoting a video all at the same time
Zach and Steven think alike. Not sure you believe in the power of 1% improvements? You can show their effects in one simple way Steven says, 'if you don’t believe me, go to Google and type compounding interest calculator'
Sounding good?
Hear more! Follow Zach on Insta: @zqfilm + DM him if you’re looking for content creation
Don't forget to follow us on Insta: @favouritepositionspodcast and on LinkedIn: Favourite Positions to hear about episode releases first
Big love, thank you for your support
#FavouritePositions team
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