468 - How to Create 365 Days Worth of Content Ideas — FAST

0:00Marie Forleo:Now, if you've got to create nonstop content for your blog, your newsletter, or your social accounts, it can be a lot of pressure, right? I mean, how do you keep coming up with new ideas for content? What do you do when you hit that wall and just run out of things to say or write about? The content struggle is real, people. I'm not kidding. I know folks who are making themselves sick and anxious because of this constant content treadmill. They don't have the right mindsets or habits in place, and they're burning out. But here is the good news. It does not have to be that way. I'm serious. As someone who's been consistently creating content and sharing content for almost two decades now, I speak from experience.

0:41Marie Forleo:And I got to tell you, being consistent with your content creation, it is so important. It's actually one of the biggest factors in our company's success. Now, this show is going to be a little bit different than usual. Whether you're watching the show on video or you're listening to the Marie Forleo podcast, which by the way, if you're not yet subscribed yet, you really should be. Here is how this is going to work. First, I'm going to tell you Marie's three magical mantras to being an endless content machine. You need to get yourself in the right head and heart space. Then we're going to get hyper tactical in the blog post below.

1:14Marie Forleo:Now, why am I doing this? Because I do not want to bombard you with this huge list of content ideas that you think you need to write down or remember right now because you don't. They are all there, written and clear. Plus, I really want you to bookmark this post. We're going to update it over time so you can come back, you can get re-inspired and never ever run out of things to write about or say again. Sound good? Let's start with Marie's first magical mantra. There is always more where that came from. So this first mantra is really a belief that I have embedded deep into my soul about several key areas in life.

1:52Marie Forleo:So I've done this about love, money, cheese, and yes, content creation. So when it comes to coming up with things to write about or talk about or teach about, I really do believe that I can never run out of ideas because literally there's always more where that came from. Look, people, we live in an abundant, ever-changing, ever-expanding universe. It's literally impossible to run out of ideas. I promise you. Now, this doesn't mean that I never feel like I run out of ideas or that I don't occasionally wonder if I'm tapped out. I mean, believe me, I have those moments. But when that happens, I remember my magical mantra that there's always more where that came from, and it changes everything like that because there's always another story to tell.

2:37Marie Forleo:There's always another way for me to serve. There's always someone who could use a helping hand or a kind word or a reminder about how freaking great they are. And from that space, ideas always, always come. You know, I actually talked about this in my Everything is Figureoutable Oprah talk. I talked about how your beliefs drive your behavior and your behavior drives your destiny. You know, Marianne Williamson actually has a great quote about this too. She says, I'm just the faucet, God's the water, which means it is our job to keep the channel open and let the good stuff flow. This is about really training yourself in abundance over scarcity, in surplus over lack, because I got to tell you, if you believe new ideas will always come, I promise you they always will.

3:22Magical mantra number two, you got to snatch it, then you hatch it. Now, I know you're probably asking yourself, what the hell does this mean, Marie? Well, I'll tell you what it doesn't mean.

3:30Marie Forleo:It doesn't mean that you steal or copy from someone else. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Snatch it, then you hatch it means that rather than feeling like you have to strain that big, beautiful brain of yours to come up with ideas, you can literally snatch them from all around you because everyday life contains endless material. Things that you overhear, something you notice out the window, maybe it's a lyric from a song or a scene from something on TV, an interaction that you had in the line at Starbucks. Literally, content is everywhere. It's like air, but unlike air, you can snatch it. So here's an example.

4:06Marie Forleo:One day I was here in New York City and I overheard this woman on her cell phone as she walked past me. She was super upset. She was frustrated. And she said, I'm just not great with financial stuff. I just can't handle it. And yes, she was British. So immediately I whipped out my cell phone and I shot this video right here. And I talked about why it's so important that people stop telling themselves these negative stories about money. And I talked about how important it is, especially for women, to take charge of their finances. Then a couple hours later, I slapped that thing up on Facebook and boom, content snatched and hatched.

4:44Now look, you don't have to immediately create and post a video like I did. You can and you should stockpile your snatches. Yes, I did say that. In other words, I want you to create a story bank that you can draw from any time.

4:57Marie Forleo:You can record audio memos on your phone, you can jot things down in a notepad, or just keep a running Google Doc. Now, here's why this mantra is so magical. One, your content is going to be original and relatable because it happened in your real life. If I just said, hey, everybody, I want to share that it's really important to get a parrot around your money, meh, anyone can say that. The story about the woman on her phone made it instantly unique and relatable. Two, and this is really important, Snatch content is super compelling because it uses concrete, specific, real details. And let me tell you people, detail is the secret to creating content that emotionally connects with your audience and inspires them to either comment, share, or buy, or whatever your goals are.

5:44Marie Forleo:So to make sure that you never, ever forget this magical mantra, I recommend that you start your day with what I like to call the snatch it, then you hatch it dance, which is inspired by the one and only Migos, walk it like I talk it. Magical mantra number three, service over self-importance. Look, if you've got all your attention on yourself thinking, well, what's going to generate a whole bunch of likes? Or what's going to get people talking about me? Or what's going to make me more famous? Or me more relevant? Or me more popular? You are thinking about content creation in the wrong damn way.

6:20Because whether you realize it or not, you're prioritizing self-importance over being of service. You're thinking about what you can get versus what you can give, which is always a losing proposition. This is especially true on social. When you're locked into what I call the me, me, me mind, that's a guaranteed way to make sure that you feel desperate, anxious, and unworthy. And I don't know anybody who can come up with great content ideas when they're feeling desperate, anxious, or unworthy. Do you? Of course not.

6:50Marie Forleo:Now, don't get it twisted. You don't have to always serve up these big, long, epic ahas or mind-blowing takeaways. Value really does come in all forms. So you can be of service by making someone smile or laugh. You can inspire them or educate them or turn them onto a resource like a show or a book or a song or an artist or a meal or a city or a town they wouldn't have heard of. You can make them feel relieved, like they're less alone or less of a weirdo, by giving them just this simple, joyful moment of, oh my goodness, I do that too. Now here's what's even better news. Being of service doesn't mean that everybody has to like it or even get something out of it.

7:28Even if just one person says, that's just what I needed to hear today, your content has done its job. So trust me, I want you to get into this mindset, make it about what you can give, not what you can get. Why? Because of this tweetable. Content that serves is content that sells.

7:46Marie Forleo:So there you have it, Marie's three magical mantras for how to never run out of content ideas again. And in case you missed it, we actually have a whole other episode on this topic called how to keep coming up with ideas for content. I'm going to put a link below. Remember, all of the tactical content prompts are waiting for you on the blog post for this episode. Just search Marie Forleo content ideas and bookmark it so you never run out of ideas for your content again. Hey, if you are overthinking, procrastinating, or just feeling off today, I have got your fix. It's called One Minute Motivators, a science-backed audio tool to help you shake off resistance, get focused, and take action now.

8:28Marie Forleo:Look, if you want me in your pocket motivating you when you need it most, grab the full audio collection at marieforleo.com slash motivators. or if you're watching this episode, just scan the QR code now.