One of the wonderful things about being human is our incredible individuality. And that one size does not fit all.
And that holds especially true in the creation process.
There is no one way to create content.
There are systems and techniques that work, but they don’t work for everyone. The key is to find what works best for you. For who you are and how you think and process.
There are different components to this, but a phrase we use here at Little Bits Media is Barriers, Blocks, and Biases.
We all have them. They work for us, catapulting us forward, and they work against us, holding us back. There’s no judgment here, only data that helps us make adjustments and move forward.
Knowing, or understanding your barriers, blocks, and biases, helps you be a more productive content creator, business owner, speaker, author, thought leader. Because what you know, you can address – find solutions, work arounds, other ways, until you find what works best for you.
So let’s talk a little about what we mean by barriers, blocks, and biases:
Barriers
Barriers are things that we know are possible, we know we can get across, but we just don’t know how, yet. We see others doing it. We know it’s humanly possible.
Like getting across a road or a ravine, but a barrier is in the way. There’s a way to get across that there’s people on the other side that you don’t know how to get through there.
In content creation, this could be the tech stuff. It could be how to get the words out of your head and onto paper (screen). It could be understanding the formats and the “how” of creating a specific type of content.
You know it can be done. You see others doing it. But there’s a barrier to get around or cross for you to get there.
For many, the biggest barrier is time and/or energy. You already have a very full life, with tons of commitments and responsibilities. There’s only so many hours in the day.
Physically we can only do so much. And the barrier is how to find the time in an already full schedule, when you only have so many spoons or hours in the day.
Or the barrier is how do you leverage the little time you have to create, when that requires focus time that you don’t have.
Blocks
Blocks are hard, seemingly immovable. Like hitting a wall. Smack. Sometimes it might even feel like you are battering against it, but you can’t get past it.
Sometimes it’s invisible to you. You make progress, and then WHAM! You bounce off a block, a wall, a door you didn’t know was there.
Comedian Steve Harvey shares an insight that if you come up against a closed door, stop banging on it, just walk down the hall, and find another door. But sometimes we need help knowing that there is even a hall to walk down, and another door that’s waiting for us to walk through.
When we run up against a block in content creation, sometimes we need to guide ourselves past it, around it, or find another way. And sometimes we need a guide to show us or help us through our blocks, or help us find another way.
There might be a hidden key, or latch. And you just need to know what or where it is. Sometimes there’s a much simpler or alternative way that you just didn’t know about, a better door, an easier door. Or a path that’s just a better fit for you.
Biases
Biases are thoughts or inclinations, or beliefs that we bring to our work, to our life, to our creation process. Our beliefs have tremendous power in our lives. They can catapult forward or hold us back. Or keep us safe right where we are at.
While the word “bias” often has negative connotations, the reality is that they are simply opinions, beliefs, in favor of or against something or someone. Often strong opinions or beliefs that color our interactions or ability to do something.
If you are coming from a bias of possibility, you know there’s a way, you just need to find it. If you are coming from bias of “can’t”, then it’s much harder to find a way.
For example, If you believe you are not a good writer, then that’s the energy you will bring to the writing process and it’s going to be much harder for you to write. There’s a way around that, but it requires that the bias is there, and a desire and a belief that you can find another way.
If you have a bias against social media, and you just hate it. That’s the energy you will bring, and it will be hard. So then the choice becomes, don’t do social media (which is totally an option) or find a way that works for you and your energy levels, and time commitments.
If you have a bias against showing your face online, showing up on video or on camera, then that’s a bias to know you have, and then we work with that. And find a way to share your message that works for you. Or, if you want to get comfortable with it, help you through that process, in a way that works for you.
Recognizing Barriers, Blocks, and Biases Moves You Forward
We all have barriers, blocks, and biases. It’s part of being human. But if we know they are there, we can recognize them, acknowledge them, and decide what to do with them. And find ways to just keep moving forward, sharing our message, impacting lives, in a way that works for us and who we are and how we communicate best.
Little Bits Add Up as long as we keep taking action, keep sharing our message, in whatever we can, within who we are and what resources we have available to us.
Remember: You can do this. Your story, your message, your solutions make a difference.