I’ve always been curious about how systems of rules are formed.
Then I suddenly found myself creating one.
Maybe creating isn’t the right word.
I simply summarized the way I communicate and the way I want to communicate.
I’ll show you how.
I look forward to your comments
When I started the “The Miracle is Already Here” project, I set up the basic principles for making videos.
Each short video expresses a feeling. I practice the same thing every time I make the materials. I stop for a moment, listen, and ask myself:
What do I feel?
What did I feel when the recording was made? What do I feel when I take it out to make a short video from it?
Then I choose a single word related to this feeling. This will be the soul of the video.
Then I formulate a short thought related to the feeling, the scene in the video, and my memory related to the scene. This is how a metaphor is born. Or I capture a realization. Or I ask a question.
The purpose of making my videos is to practice.
I trust that not only I practice when I make the video, but also the viewers. Maybe there will be someone who asks themselves the question: What do I feel? What kind of thought can I connect to my own feelings?
In these thoughts, I am not the important one. The experiences and locations that I have experienced are not the important ones. Nor is it how I feel or how I connect to the whole story.
For me, the feelings and thoughts of the viewer are important.
I also trust that sooner or later someone will share these feelings and thoughts with me.
I look forward to the comments.
Preparing for the comments
A few comments have already arrived on various channels. When writing the response, I tried to apply the principles that I also apply when making videos.
Within a short time, I had the feeling that it would be better to prepare responses to the comments. It would make my life easier. I need a crutch that helps me respond.
This is how I set about developing my system of rules.
The AI was particularly suitable for preparation. I simply had to ask it to generate all kinds of comments for me. And I could already practice how I would react to each type of comment.
I quickly realized that comments are not the afterlife of videos, but the second half of the project.
I pay attention to my feelings when making the video.
And – how surprising – when writing the comment too.
Double practice. Double gift. Double joy.
And something else happened while I was working.
Gift
I realized that the question was not what to answer. It was much more what I received from the commenter.
This question changed everything.
I noticed that I was not analyzing the comment. I was observing myself. Again.
After all, the gift I received (comment) can carry so much, can give so much.
Sometimes it conveys a feeling. Sometimes it conveys a memory. Other times, a whole new perspective. Sometimes, it’s just that someone stayed a little longer than they normally would have in a given moment.
From there, there’s no question that I can be grateful for someone giving me something. Anything.
Not because they agree with me.
But because they give me a glimpse into their own world.
When I had my rules, I basically created a reminder for myself.
It reminds me every time not to look for the opinion, but for the gift.
Look for the gift, not the opinion.
As I invite others to see the miracle in their own lives, I learn to see the gift in others with each comment.
The Principles
I don’t think these are good rules for everyone. That’s not why I wrote them. They are simply a reminder of the kind of person I want to be even when someone disagrees with me.
If I ever forget this, I just have to read this list again. Especially on the day when it’s hard to respond like this.
1. Every genuine comment is a gift. The value of a comment is not whether it agrees with me, but that it reveals a real human response.
2. I respond to the person, not to the opinion. Opinions do not need to be corrected. People deserve to be acknowledged.
3. Feelings are more important than agreement. A comment that expresses fear, joy, sadness, disagreement or even frustration is still evidence that something meaningful happened.
4. The goal is not to convince. I don’t explain why my interpretation is right. I appreciate that another interpretation exists.
5. Every comment is another perspective on the same moment. The video is only the beginning. The comments reveal how many different worlds can exist around a single experience.
6. Gratitude comes before explanation. If I reply, my first intention is gratitude, not defense.
7. I don’t thank people for commenting. I thank them for letting me see what they felt.
8. The project is not about my feelings. My feeling starts the conversation. Theirs completes it.
9. The best outcome is not agreement. The best outcome is that someone paused long enough to notice their own feelings.
10. One day, I hope they won’t need my videos anymore. If these daily moments help someone naturally recognize beauty, gratitude and joy in their own life, then the project has fulfilled its purpose.
11. A comment is not feedback. It is part of the artwork.
Buy me a coffee?
If you enjoyed this story, you can buy me a coffee. You don’t have to – but it means a lot and I always turn it into a new adventure.
Buy a coffee for Steve
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