Here’s a note to self: Start enjoying your own content first before worrying about results.
Today felt like an irrelevant day. I didn’t feel too productive and I’m still trying to find myself in a new city. I didn’t have a lot of social contact this day, either. Oh well, at least the sun was shining. After dinner, I went outside and brought a book with me. Three hours later, I’m writing this blog, feeling enlightened and creatively inspired. Ready to rock the rest of my week.
So today I realized something, I realized how freeing and enjoyable writing and reading can be, how important it is to enjoy the things you create and consume, and why the enjoyment of creating and consuming can be so powerful.
Finding your way as a beginning content marketer is difficult. In the early stages of your career, it is more about trial and error rather than knowing what works and what doesn’t. And that can sometimes be demotivating. Especially when you put in hours of work into blogposts and Instagram Reels that barely take off. You keep trying, but don’t see any results (yet). And then you start doubting: “Why am I even creating?”
But we all know that content marketers need to play the long game. And sometimes that’s difficult. Especially when you want to level up your content marketing, writing, editing and copywriting skills.
Today I read a couple of pages out of ‘On Writing’, written by Stephen King. In his book, he shares his advice on how to become a better writer. The following thought stuck with me: King argues that aspiring writers need to spend a lot of time reading and writing. It’s the only way to improve these skills.
But King also argued that it’s just as important to enjoy these activities. If you read a book you don’t like or if you don’t like putting your thoughts on paper, reading and writing will become chores instead of fun activities. And we all know what happens with chores: We procrastinate, need a lot of time to finish the task, and when finished we aren’t even satisfied about the result.
Today, friend Chi Thukral shared a Tweet that stuck with me.
Boom. Jackpot.
Marketers, of course it is important to meet your KPI targets. At the same time, we should not forget to have some fun. Creating content should give you energy. When you have fun, you’ll feel that creating content becomes easier and you worry less about the results. Content that is created from the heart also feels more authentic and personal.
And slowly, as you create more, you’ll start seeing results too.
So here’s my advice to self (and others): Just realize how fun it can be to turn your ideas into something tangible. And how fun it can be to learn about and from other people’s ideas. Make writing and reading a playful game. And keep in mind: The more you write and read, the sooner you’ll level up.
Oh — and play the game with others. When you surround yourself with people who support you, you’ll enjoy your journey towards becoming a better creator even more.
Maybe this little blog was helpful for you too. Hopefully, this blog can at least remind me to keep enjoying the activity of creating and consuming content during times when I struggle creating something new.
