What do you get when you mix five enthusiastic, sports-loving guys with a panda and the Internet? The answer is Dude Perfect. If you’re not laughing, don’t worry it’s not a joke but rather one of the most ridiculously huge success stories born out of a YouTube channel.
Coming together during their time as university student Tyler, Cody, Cory, Coby (yes, that’s three different people) and Garrett began challenging each other to make trick shots in exchange for food. Throw in a video camera and more than 20 million subscribers and you have the 16th most followed YouTube channel. My children huge Dude Perfect fans and so we’ve watched pretty much every video available. They’re fun, short and kind of addictive plus they’re completely family friendly. Having enjoyed a good few hours watching these five friends do what they do, there are a couple of things that really stand out and are worth remember.
Fun is attractive
You only have to look at the vast number of followers these guys have on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, not to mention their high-profile fan base, to see that what they are doing is attracting attention. Yes, the trick shots are great and the athletic skills really quite incredible but without the enjoyment, enthusiasm and good, old-fashioned fun, I’m not sure they would have made nearly as much impact. Fun draws people. It’s contagious and when daily life is less than wonderful, being able to find fun and share it with others is a valuable thing and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Success doesn’t require compromising who you are
There seems to be this expectation that to be really successful (or famous) you will need to compromise the things you believe in and the values you hold, in order to really get ahead! All five of the ‘Dudes’ are Christians and as a result have turned down sponsorship deals with alcohol companies and features in magazine that don’t line up with their faith or values. Their decision to hold true to who they are and what they believe in hasn’t hurt them at all, in fact it’s probably adds to their appeal.
The ‘magic’ is all in the preparation
When you see the final product it’s easy to be in awe, but the truth is that very few things in life come together on the first attempt. The trick shots performed on Dude Perfect all look effortless and completely natural, but behind the scenes it can take multiple shots (sometimes as many as 20 or more) to get the final take. According to one interview the guys gave, their giant sling shot trick took two whole days to get right. Preparation and practice is key. If you want to look completely at ease doing something you need to practice, not until you get it right, but until you can’t get it wrong.
Your life is bigger than just you
When it boils down to it the Dude Perfect videos are really just a bunch of friends playing around with balls and things, trying to beat each other and having a great time. You could argue that what they do isn’t exactly going to change the world but according to their website these five guys have a slightly different point of view.
Obviously when that first ball swished, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but we believe that nothing happens by accident, that God’s given us this platform for a reason, and that we have an opportunity to make an impact on the lives of countless others all around the globe. Above all else, our ultimate goal is to glorify Jesus Christ in everything that we do. We want to use this platform for something much bigger than us.
In every walk of life, whether you are famous or not, you have the capacity to use who and what you are to make a difference. What you have been given; your job, your skills, your influence; is not just for your own benefit. Whether you know it or not God gave you all that you have so that you can impact those around you. Use what’s at your disposal to reach beyond your own existence and touch the life of someone else.