What’s Going on in Your Life?

One of the things I get asked a lot is – How Do I Create Content?  Well, it’s a great question, and the answer is simpler than you think.

There are just 2 parts to content creation.  Well, there are probably a lot more than that, but there are just 2 parts to getting started with content creation.

Firstly

You need to get out of your own way.  What do I mean by that?  Well, if you are like….well….most people, you might have a little voice inside of you that’s saying something like this.  “Well, it’s OK for you Cheryl – you are a public speaker, you know what to say and how to say it.  But ME?  No-one is interested in anything I have to say.  I haven’t got anything interesting to talk about”.

Well, I have one word for you.  Starts with a B and ends in CKS.

You are unique and your take on life is unique. And whilst everyone might not be interested in what you have to say – that is absolutely FINE.  No-one in the world appeals to everyone.  There are people who don’t resonate with me – and I am OK with that.  Because the ones the DO are the ones I am here to help.

So firstly – just ignore the little voice saying – who are you to do a video, or stand on stage, or go live on Facebook.  Its job is to keep you safe, but actually what it is doing is stopping you from exploring life.

 

And Secondly

Start noticing what is going on in your life.

Even though your little voice is telling you otherwise, people ARE interested in what is going on in other people’s lives – yes including yours.  If they weren’t reality TV shows would never work.  Biographies would be doorstops.  Fairy Tales would not exist.  Yes really.  How do all stories start?

They start with something that actually happened.  Jesus was born.  There was a configuration of planets in the night sky.  And a story was born.  For some a true story, for others a fairy tale.  But that’s beside the point.

All stories start with an idea, an idea born in something that happened.

How Do You Start?

Step 1 is to OBSERVE.

On Sunday I was sitting in my garden and I decided to go live on this very subject – how to create content.

So, the first thing to do is have a look around.  I saw the different-shaped windows in my house.  I saw plants.  I saw the dog kennel.  I saw blue skies but black clouds looming.

Step 2 is to make a note (can be mental or written down) and make no judgments.  Take it all in.

Step 3.  Ask yourself what that reminds you of.

So, for me – the different shaped windows reminded me of one of my childhood favourite TV programs – Play School.  The plants reminded me that personal development is all about growth and it has to start somewhere and that what you put out there will attract something and you better make sure it is Lavender to attract the butterflies and not leftovers to attract the flies.

The blue skies and black clouds reminded me how quickly things can change and that we have to accept the bad times to enjoy the good.  And the dog kennels, well that made me think – have you ever been in the doghouse?

There are so many things around you just let your mind wander.  Take a note of what comes up and see how that relates to you and your subject matter.  Keep those notes somewhere close at hand so that the next time you want to talk about something you have a lot of great idea ‘seeds’ to get started with.

And that was just one of the things that happened this week.

A Special Something

One of the other things that happened this week was a special exhibition in my hometown of Fleetwood.  It’s at the Fleetwood Museum and it’s called – This Girl Can.  It’s a bringing together of some of the wonderful inspirational women of Fleetwood over the years.

There was The Fleetwood Assassin – no not a mass murderer – this is Jane Crouch who was the first officially licensed British female boxer in 1998.  There was the lovely Doreen Lofthouse, of the Lofthouse family who sadly passed away in March this year. She was responsible for taking Fisherman’s Friends from a small local company to a huge global brand, and also donated tens of millions to charity.

There were many famous, and not so famous but very influential women from Fleetwood celebrated in the exhibition.  For example – who knew there were 2 female Mayoresses in the 60’s in Fleetwood?  Very ahead of their times!

How I Got To Be In The Exhibition

And I was so humbled to be a part of the exhibition along with my cousin Linsey Alexander.  The woman who organised the exhibition, Zara, had seen me in the Blackpool Gazette talking about organising a speaking event for women.  She rang me and the rest, as they say, is history.

I took my Mum and Dad over to the exhibition.  My Dad got talking to one of the organisers about one of the exhibits – a Fleetwood Fishing boat that sank called the Red Falcon.  He was on the Red Falcon ship when he was 18.  He almost cut his own finger off one day and was unable to go out for the next 2 trips on the boat.  The second time it went out, it was lost at sea – and never found.

That was a heart-stopping moment.  At that moment I realised that if my Dad hadn’t nearly chopped his finger off, I would not have been born.

The ripples (no pun intended this time) and significance of your actions are not always realised until much later.

So, to wrap it all up this week – you don’t need to force content creation.  Just observe what is going on in your life.  It won’t always be as exciting as an exhibition that you go to – or are in!  But that doesn’t matter.  When you start to allow your brain to really observe what is around you, and to let your mind wander and consider what those things remind you of / make you feel / inspire you to create, then the content will come.  Just share it.

If you need some help with HOW to share it – just get in touch (cheryl@cheryl-chapman.com) or join our Facebook Group How To Speak With…. where I share weekly tips and tactics for improving how you can be seen, heard, and felt so that you can change lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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