Moving forward with your “blocks”

This week, I’m feeling a bit stuck. It’s the February / March lull, that nether region between the long end of winter and the first peek at spring. The days are still short, the weather is still cold, albeit topsy turvy and that New Year’s energy to conquer goals and kick-ass feels like it’s running on empty.

This creeped into my podcast. I did about 4 or 5 takes, scrapping each one, trying to focus on a topic. I had several in mind but the words just didn’t find their way to the mic, at least not the right ones.

So, I scrapped it. I took a deep breath, stretched and decided to embrace the “block.”

I’m in a block right now. I’m knee-deep in preparing my taxes, trying to find time (and audio space) to record an audiobook and get started on my next book. So, when it came time to record the podcast, I felt like I didn’t have enough “left in the tank,” so to speak, to be energetic and creative.

I decided it was time to embrace the block. This week, I share why being in a “block,” or hitting one, can be part of your content and message. It’s a normal part of any long-term journey, be it writing a book, a blog or a podcast.

The key is not to turn off the mic and risk never coming back. It’s to turn it on and talk about it. Turn the block into a point of conversation, which can be the basis for a piece of content.

Embracing your blocks

A block can feel like you’re hitting your head against the wall trying to be creative or productive. Or, it can feel like a haze. Below are some ways I’m able to reset and if not break, then embrace the block:

1. Take a break to walk, stretch, or get some fresh air.
2. Meditation (I like the Calm app for this).
3. Call a friend.
4. Exercise.
5. Listen to good music: as my life feels like it’s been an improvisation, I’ve been drawn to jazz, in particular John Coltrane .
6. Keep perspective: no matter your struggles or blocks, you have it better than so many in this world.

Once you embrace your blocks, you can find ways to make them part of your content and journey. Talk about it, explore it, dissect it and pull out any interesting revelations or conclusions to share. You never know what you will unearth when you crack the rock or rather, the block.

This is how I keep moving forward even when I don’t feel like I am.

John

John's coloring book,?Corporate Cliches,?is available for sale on?Amazon ?and?Barnes & Noble online .

Moving Forward?280 ?is available on all major podcast outlets.

John Lim (Twitter:?@bemovingforward ) is a?TEDx speaker , author, and Poshmark ambassador. His articles on Cobra Kai:?How Cobra Kai is kicking butt at storytelling, marketing, and business ?(2018) and?Why 'Cobra Kai's' move to Netflix is the perfect sequel ?(2020) are his most read on LinkedIn to date. John has been featured in?Cracked.com ,?Authority Magazine , and Inc. John currently hosts the?Moving Forward ?podcast. He is the creator of the?Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book , available now on Amazon.