Think

Think, Think, Think

Have you ever had these thoughts?

• “I wish my blog had content this good.”
• “Wow… How does he come up with this stuff?”
• “Boy, I wish I could write like that!”

Now for the big questions:

• Why aren’t you writing content that good?
• Why isn’t your content profound?
• Why can’t you write thought-provoking content that rocks the blogosphere?

Some writers sigh with envy. Some do manage a few stop-the-presses posts on their own blogs – just a few. Some others write some fine, thoughtful material, but… It’s not quite the same.

We want to be just like those major players. We want to captivate, evoke, and provoke. We want to see our blog stats shoot through the roof and have Technorati bow down before us. We want to launch the BIGGEST IDEA EVER into the virtual world and watch the tsunami effect.

So why aren’t we? I’ll tell you why: we don’t take the time.

The human mind is like a sieve. It can’t hold everything. Thoughts, memories, ideas… Your brain has a limited capacity storage locker. It has to let some stuff leak out to keep in the more important thoughts.

Forgetfulness seems to be a catching disease these days – and it’s no wonder. Our brains are saturated. There’s no more space. The world bombards us with stimulation nearly 24/7.

Add the crazy pace of new content released daily into the virtual world, and it’s no wonder you can’t be the next Maki or Brian Clark. You’re continually filling your mind up with someone else’s thoughts.

Where are you going to store your own?

Oh, wait – I bet you have a handy to-do list nearby so that you don’t forget a thing.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you spent a couple of hours just thinking? You have a brain; use it. Get away from the computer. Put down the books and magazines. Burn your to-do list. Cut off your feeds. Stop rushing around for a while. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you slow down.

Do as the pros do – think before you write. Scheduled thinking into your agenda, if you have to. Take a long drive with no music on. Plunge deep into your own thoughts. Examine your ideas as if you are scrutinizing a diamond for quality.

“But Brian (or Maki or whoever you like best) inspires me!” I know. These people inspire me too, and that’s a good thing. We all need inspiration.

So get inspired, and then go think a while. You might be surprised at all the inspiring, thought-provoking content you come up with all on your own.

If you don’t give yourself the time to think, if you seize an idea and slam it out before you forget, you’re just spinning your wheels in the snow. It may be okay content, but it’ll never be that insightful, well thought-out content you hoped for.

Major player bloggers don’t rattle off what everyone already knows. They shape their content. They take time to observe and to think. They put forth unique, valuable content that leaves people awestruck…

…and that’s what makes major players that good.

So just think. You never know what you might come up with – if you give yourself time.