A Reader’s Digest article from October 1991 told an amazing story of how one national skier, who was training for the Olympics, came up with a new racing technique.
And after you read this great story, I will show you what this new racing technique and the desire to come up with new content marketing ideas have in common.
The Gold Medal Breakthrough
Here’s the story the Reader’s Digest article shared…
“When Jean-Claude Killy made the French national ski team in the early 1960s, he was prepared to work harder than anyone else to be the best.
“At the crack of dawn he would run up the slopes with his skis on, an unbelievably grueling activity. In the evening he would lift weights, run sprints–anything to get an edge.
“But the other team members were working as hard and long as he was. He realized instinctively that simply training harder would never be enough.
“Killy then began challenging the basic theories of racing technique.
“Each week he would try something different to see if he could find a better, faster way down the mountain. His experiments resulted in a new style that was almost exactly opposite the accepted technique of the time.
“It involved skiing with his legs apart (not together) for better balance and sitting back (not forward) on the skis when he came to a turn. He also used ski poles in an unorthodox way–to propel himself as he skied.
“The explosive new style helped cut Killy’s racing times dramatically. In 1966 and 1967 he captured virtually every major skiing trophy.
“The next year he won three gold medals in the Winter Olympics, a record in ski racing that has never been topped.
“Killy learned an important secret shared by many creative people: innovations don’t require genius, just a willingness to question the way things have always been done.”
The 3 Ways to Come Up with New Content Marketing Ideas
People seem to have the same question when it comes to content marketing: How do I come up with new ideas?
I will answer that question in detail in my upcoming “Content Boosters” online course, but it comes down to two things:
1. Observation
You need to pay attention to the things that are around you. Ideas are all around you – if you pay attention.
2. Contemplation
You need to not only take time to observe what’s going on around you, but you also need to find time to think about what you observe and how (or if) it relates to content marketing.
What This Has in Common with the Gold Medalist
How did Jean-Claude Killy up with his paradigm shifting new racing technique?
- He didn’t just keep working harder.
- He didn’t just keep copying everyone else.
No! Instead he did these two things:
- He observed the situation: Everyone is doing what I am.
- He contemplated the situation: He thought about it until he realized that copying everyone else wasn’t the way to win.
*This is how ALL creativity and breakthroughs take place, whether it’s in sports, education, art, or content creation.
Why No One Wants to Do This
These two things require one thing; TIME.
We’re all so busy in life, juggling so many things, that none of us has any more time to give away.
Or do we?
Was Jean-Claude Killy less busy than the other skiers? No!
He just used his time in different ways than the others.
If you really want to be able to keep coming up with new content marketing ideas, then it’s going to require you doing these two things.
And that will require you figuring out how to find the time to do these things.
I’m sorry. There’s no other shortcut or secret to creativity.
But if you’re willing to find the time to do these things, then you will begin to come up with new content marketing ideas.
8 Days Left
There are 8 days left for you to grab a copy of my recording called, The 3 Keys to Increased Focus, Efficiency, and Creativity.
I am only offering this recording until August 30th at 12pm PST.
These three simple things are NOT content marketing methods.
They are methods to apply to your life that can help you to become better at prioritizing things.
They’ll also reveal to you some overlooked ways you can reschedule your life to fit in the time to do things like observe and contemplate.
Just to be clear, these “3 keys” are NOT just something I made up. I discovered them.
1. The first key is something that many of the “Greats” from the past implemented daily in their lives.
2. The second key is based on an ancient concept which was unknowingly implemented by one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century.
3. The third key is based on a mindset that both modern productivity experts and an ancient group of people agree upon.
NOTE: At the link above you’ll find more information such as:
- A video describing who the “3 keys” can help the most
- 2 testimonials from people who have tried them
- What Henry Ford said is the weakness of us all
- And more
Photo from Killy.com
Related articles
- Beware Of The Barrenness Of A Busy Life (recessionsolution.com)
- Wired for Success: How to fulfill your potential (psychologytoday.com)
- Popeye And The Impact That Accidental Content Marketing Had On The Spinach Industry (recessionsolution.com)
I’m a business strategist, consultant, content creation specialist, and speaker. I’ve been studying effective marketing and business methods (both online and offline) since 1999.
===> If you would like to see ways that we could work together, then please click here to learn more.
