All marketers need to generate some kind of content, whether that be in the form of Blog articles, podcasts, videos on Youtube, posts on Facebook, pictures on Instagram, or emails sent out to lists. The issue many face is not in the act of content creation itself, but in discovering the ideas to share in the first place.

Content creation is easy. Finding the inspiration is the hard part!

We all need some inspiration in our lives every day! The one thing most people don’t realize, is that inspiration is around us at all times! We as bloggers are basically just conduits of information. The moment we stop learning and/or observing the world around us, we start to lose focus and our business ultimately stagnates.

So the first step in this process is understanding what we are trying to accomplish with this content creation whats-its.

What Is Content Creation?

I never thought you’d ask! Content creation is that little thing you do to attract other entrepreneurs to do business with you. Just like with everything else in the world, people tend to complicate it beyond belief. When things get too complicated, usually one of two things happen:

1. The work completed becomes low quality because the content creator spreads themself too thin.
2. Nothing gets accomplished because the content creator got overwhelmed.

Usually it’s more the latter than the former. Most people are likely to give up all their hard work when they don’t see it paying off in the near future. In effect, doing too much will not produce more results faster, but will actually lead to failure 99% of the time.

On top of that, complication leads to long learning curves (bad habits are learned too, you know!), needless sleepless nights, and draining bank accounts.

Content creation is easy! It’s as simple as finding what strikes your fancy, taking action, and sharing your perspective with others! The real question is, does anything interest you enough to keep you writing about it week after week, month after month?

If you answered yes to that question, then you are good to go! It’s time to learn how to spot that proverbial inspiration!

Content Inspiration: Five Easy Ways To Get Started

It’s no secret: Inspiration can’t be faked or forced. You either get it, or you don’t. With that said, it can come from any and all directions and there are no limits! Sometimes the most difficult thing is just knowing where to look!

I like to use the following metaphor: it’s like trying to find inspiration in the sky with a telescope, when it’s already sitting in your backyard all along. Inspiration is closer than you think. Here are some of the best sources I use to get started.

Source #1: Your Email Inbox

We all get seemingly hundreds of emails a day from several people, don’t we? Many of those emails may be sales pitches for the latest JV launches, while others may be from some big wig internet marketer who wants you to buy into his new coaching program. Whatever the case may be, you can bet your bottom dollar that most of them will share value with you.

If you have heard of a marketer named Michael Cheney, then you know his emails aren’t boring. He openly refers to them as “edutainment” (education-entertainment). His content grabs its audience and provokes an emotional reaction. This is the kind of content we all strive to create! I like to read his emails to get the juices flowing. If Cheney is doing something, then you know it must work. That guy knows his shizzle.

Source #2: Your Facebook/Social Media Newsfeed

You know you have several friends that post stuff daily in your newsfeed…did you know that that material might actually be a source of inspiration for your business? Almost everyone I know is on Facebook, and I’m sure it’s that way for you too. There is a wide range of people with different backgrounds posting about different things.

While a lot of what you see on Facebook is drama, there is quite a bit of positivity going on if you follow the right people. I know several that post positive content every day, some of them post 4-6 times a day! While that might seem a tad excessive, you can bet it gets results. Why not take a leaf out of their book and find your inspiration with them? It can work wonders for your content creation!

Source #3: Go Outside and People Watch

People fascinate me. I hate being cooped up for too long, but am a workaholic at the same time. Every day, I try to make a point of getting some fresh air and of course, watch some people?

Why do you think I have this site? I love observing people’s idiosyncrasies! You probably think I’m crazy, but it brings me a sort of joy I really can’t explain. Being around other people is revitalizing to me. After focusing long and hard on one thing, sometimes it really helps to switch gears and open that proverbial window to innovation. Being outside and people watching really does the trick in that regard.

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

Source #4: Go Take a Walk or Exercise

Exercising has quite a few benefits. Besides promoting better sleep, helping you lose weight, and making you look better, it can also do the following:

1. Put you in a better mood.
2. Make you feel more positive, naturally.
3. Help you focus more on other important things.
4. Help relieve stress.

I am sure there are additional reasons, but I find I personally get some of my greatest ideas when I exercise. I don’t know if it’s all the endorphins pumping through my body, or the increased blood flow to my muscles and brain, but my head usually becomes more clear and my ideas come out to play.

Going out for a run is the best time for me to tune out everything external and focus solely on myself. When I combine the fourth and fifth source, I usually see the most creative ideas spring to life in a non-nonsense sort of way. Are you in need of new ideas? Take a run and they will chase you down!

Source #5: Read Some Personal Growth Books or Listen to Some Inspirational Audios

I saved the best method for last, in my opinion. Reading some personal growth books or inspirational audios can help so much more than you may realize. The information presented in between the pages of those books can be life-changing. If you dedicate a few minutes each day to reading maybe 10 pages of a good inspirational book, day in and day out, you WILL see results in your life.

I don’t always have time to read books, but I love listening to audio books and have a tendency to collect them. I love to listen to them while I’m working out. Napoleon Hill’s, The Law of Success, gave me some of my greatest ideas while I was working out. It also gave me motivation to work out since I would only let myself listen to it while I was working out! It lasted quite a few sessions, which was okay with me.

Personal growth material will help activate the thought processes to lead to creativity. It’s a totally different shift in thinking from the way most “normal” people think. The first thing I learned is that there is an abundance of everything for everyone. Most people focus on the limitations, but the only real limitations that exist are those we place on ourselves. Once you start thinking about excess, you will get excess in terms of thoughts, ideas, and in everything you manifest into your life.

If you are an entrepreneur, than I need to hear an AMEN! If you aren’t quite there yet, don’t worry. You will be soon enough! Baby steps, young Padawan learner!

Scintillating Conclusion

No matter how experienced you are, writer’s (or content) block can and will get you. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and not put out fresh content consistently. That is why it is important to have a few go-to strategies up your sleeve to combat content block. Of course, you can outsource the content creation process to writers on iWriter, eLance, or Fiverr, but where is the fun in that?

You should strive to get inspired every single day, whether you are looking for ideas or not. Life is short and every day should be savored like a fine wine. There is so much out there to enjoy! That is why I share this stuff with the world. I want them to see how beautiful everything is from my perspective.

I hope you learned some powerful inspiration strategies today and I hope to see you back here again for more tips, reviews, and strategies to get your business going. Until next time, take it easy!