Weekly Alert: If You Can’t Do What You Want, Do What You Can

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[Read more]( By Stephanie Stahl [Content Creation] Some more of this week's best stuff: - [How to Get Creatives to Harmonize With Metrics]( [Jennifer Goforth Gregory]( [Editorial Process and Teams] - [What’s Up in 2021 for Content Marketing?]( Ann Gynn [General Success Tips] - [Help Your Writing With These 2 Short Tips]( by Penny Gralewski [Content Creation] - [People Want PDFs; Why The NY Times Didn’t Fail; and a Backstage Pass [The Weekly Wrap]]( Content Marketing Institute Team [Trends and Research] - [Build a Better Content Strategy, Measure by Measure]( Zontee Hou [Chief Content Officer Exclusive] Join Our Weekly Wrap News Crew Did you come across an exciting content idea, unique example, or puzzling trend this week? Help us share it with your fellow Content Marketing Institute readers by completing [this form](. If we include your submission in an upcoming Weekly Wrap, we’ll credit you as the source of the inspiration.  A Note From Robert Rose If You Can’t Do What You Want, Do What You Can “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” That John Lennon lyric seems cynical if you read it to mean it’s fruitless to plan because life always gets in the way. In the context of the whole work (Beautiful Boy), it means something very different. In the song, Lennon is comforting his son Sean from a nightmare. He tells him to be patient – there’s a long life ahead – but not to wait for the right time to follow his dreams. Follow them now. Why? “Because life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” This week marked the 10th anniversary of Content Marketing World. To say that “life got in the way” of our original plans is an understatement. So much of our preparation for the event was upended when we made the difficult (but ultimately sage) decision to make the event completely virtual. The day we pulled the plug on our in-person plans for Content Marketing World 2020 there was no dramatic moment. It happened in a series of email conversations on an otherwise unremarkable day. But things rarely go according to the script. It’s a weird moment when you realize you never had control of how things would turn out. That picture in your head of how it was supposed to happen was just a projection. So, our 10th anniversary of Content Marketing World turned out to be the very first all-virtual one. We had a blast planning it. It was a new challenge. Speakers rose to the occasion, delivering keynotes they never would have before. People came up with ideas that hadn’t been considered in the past. And we attracted attendees from all over the world who couldn’t attend in other years because of the travel required. By all accounts, it was a rousing success. We created a new thing. Not as good? Perhaps, for some. Better? Maybe, for others. It was what we could do. We couldn’t do what we initially planned, so we made what we could do as good as it could be. Here’s the takeaway: We can’t control what’s supposed to happen. But we can control how we respond to what does happen. And that creates more possibilities for what could be. 2020 has been a nightmare of “life getting in the way” of our best-laid plans. But guess what? We have no idea how 2021 is going to go either. Our plans may succeed beyond our wildest dreams. Or things could go completely sideways. The only – and most powerful thing – you can control is how you think about (and respond to) whatever comes. Life is happening. Better get busy making plans. It’s your story. Tell it well. Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute This article from Robert is available only in this newsletter for you, the newsletter subscriber. If you have friends that would see value in Robert's weekly updates, please have them [subscribe](.  A Word from One of Our Content VIPs Re-evaluate your AI opinions Effective marketing personalization can be achieved quickly and cost effectively by embracing AI. So why are so many marketers suspicious of it? Our latest guide helps you to demystify AI in order to take advantage of it. [Download the guide »](   Content Marketing Job Listings Currently on a job search? Thinking about switching gears with your career? Please check out our job listings below. Available Positions: - Content Manager, EnviroLogix, Portland, ME/Remote - [Learn More]( - SEO Content Marketing Manager, BoomTown, Charlotte, NC/Fort Mill, SC Area - [Learn More]( Interested in posting a job here? 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