I’ve been public speaking since 2005, blogging since July of 2008, and podcasting since 2012. Creating content has been an incredibly fulfilling and rewarding journey. Today I want to share with you some of the lessons I’ve learned through creating content. I hope that it will challenge you and inspire you to create your own!
Just for fun, I added this: This was one of my first headers for my blog which I started on Blogger (thank you Nathan Hamblin for the design!). I love looking back and seeing how far things have come since then!
Here is what I’ve learned over the last 10 years of creating content:
1.) When You Create Content, You Never know Who You are Reaching – This has been one of my favorite things about creating content. Creating content is all about adding value to others! It gives you an opportunity to influence people you would normally not be able to get an audience with. I’ve been shocked by some of the people who tell me they read my blog or listen to the podcast. I’ve had people who I haven’t seen in ten years tell me that my content has helped them get through some of the toughest seasons of their life. It doesn’t get any better than knowing that you helped someone else through your work. Creating content provides a unique opportunity to help others.
[shareable]Creating content is all about adding value to others![/shareable]
2.) Creating Content Helps You Grow – It’s been said that the best way for you to learn something is to teach it to someone else within 48 hours. That is how I started and continue to create content. I share what I’m learning and add my own thoughts to it. Overtime, as I’ve grown, I’ve been able to create more and more of my own original content. Creating content has made me better!
3.) Creating Content is Easy When You’re Always Growing – I know a lot of people worry about what they would say if they created their own content. I always ask them what they are doing to grow personally. What books are they reading? What podcasts are they listening to? What people are they connecting with? I’ve found that if you are always growing, content creation will be much easier for you.
4.) Creating Content Creates Opportunities – I’ve had opportunities to do things that I would have never had the chance to do if it weren’t for my blog and podcast. Here are just two examples of opportunities I’ve had as a result of creating content:
- I got to go through an Executive Leadership program that I would have never had the opportunity to go through.
- Dave Ramsey’s team reached out to me and asked me to be a part of their event that came to Pittsburgh because they found my blog. As a result, I got to go to his event, meet him, and bring friends. It was incredible!
I could go on and on about doors that have opened up as a result of creating content. You never know what’s on the other side of you creating content!
5.) Creating Content Leads to New Friendships and New Mentors – I’ve made some great friends and have been exposed to leaders I would have never been exposed to if it weren’t for getting into the space of content creation.
6.) If You Don’t Start Creating Content Now, Your Content Won’t Be as Good 10 Years From Now – Recently, I have had several people tell me that my writing has gotten much better in the past year. That means so much to me. Why? Because I realize that when you start out doing anything, you are not going to be that good. However, if you don’t start, you’ll never get good.
I didn’t start writing because I thought I was a good writer. I started writing because I wanted to help people. When I look back at what I wrote in 2008, it’s embarrassing! However, I wouldn’t be able to be writing the way I do now, if I didn’t start writing then! I hope I’ll say the same about the content I’m currently creating in the years to come. Seth Godin once said, “Start today to build the platform that you will be able to use three years from now.” Start now!
7.) Creating a Platform is Not Evil and It’s Not About You! – Michael Hyatt recently wrote a great post entitled, “Everything you fear about platforms is wrong.” I encourage you to read it. I talk to so many people who battle the tension between building a platform for others and building a platform for themselves. Ultimately, I don’t think this is a problem to solve, but a tension to manage. I think we need to be consistently evaluating our motives and evaluating why we are building our platform. When it becomes too much about you, you may need to take a break for a while.
However, the majority of the people I talk to build platforms and create content because they want to help people. That is why you should create content! Building your platform and creating content should not be about you! In the end, it’s an opportunity to help people! Here is what’s great about you building your own platform: you can reach people that nobody else can reach. That’s why you need to start creating content! Chris Hogan said it best when he said, “Somebody somewhere is waiting on you to become what you were destined to be! Keep growing forward!”
[shareable cite=”Chris Hogan”]’Somebody somewhere is waiting on you to become what you were destined to be! Keep growing forward!’ [/shareable]
8.) The Impact of Your Content isn’t Up to You! – Rick Warren once said, “Be faithful where you are, God is responsible for how big your influence will get.” Too often, we worry about how many people we influence. That is not up to us. Our job is to be faithful with what is in our hand. My job is to focus on what I believe God is putting on my heart to do and to create. The rest is up to him. Mark Batterson said it well when he said, “The impact God has planned for us doesn’t occur when we’re pursuing impact. It occurs when we’re pursuing God.”
[shareable cite=”Mark Batterson”]“The impact God has planned for us doesn’t occur when we’re pursuing impact. It occurs when we’re pursuing God.” [/shareable]
Creating content has been an extremely rewarding practice in my life. I encourage you to create your own content. You never know who you’re going to help, what opportunities will open up as a result, or who you’ll meet as a result.
Thoughts? Comment below!
Questions:
- What lessons have you learned in creating content?
- If you haven’t started creating content, but you’ve always wanted to, what is holding you back?
Challenge:
- I dare you to start creating content today! See what happens!
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