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Five explorative writing exercises that may surprise you about yourself
E.L. Doctorow once said: "Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing, and learn as you go."
As my daily writing experiments have shown, he is right. Writing can reveal a lot about the world and ourselves.
The sheer act of writing unlocks that which is deep within the dusty libraries of my mind.
Until recently, I treated writing as a practical means of getting ideas on paper. It was a stunted, tedious process.
Now I view it as an essential and energising explorative tool.
Writing for stretches can activate surprising explosions of data, emotion, and visions, which previously had been in cryosleep.
I have also learned deeper self-awareness and figured out what brings me to life.
No longer do I need to second-guess myself.
My writing has revealed what matters to me.
There also seems to be a correlation between the duration of free-flowing writing and the unearthing of ever more complex and authentic ideas.
The deeper I dig, and the less hard I try, the more truths I find.
Journaling is one thing, but writing on a specific concept for the purpose of discovery can prove fascinating.
The beauty of the following exercises is not only in the ideas you come up with but in what you learn you are capable of; what you learn about yourself that is crying out to be found.
It is confidence-building, and it will take you to higher frequencies.
Spend at least 15 minutes writing or speaking on each of these topics.
Have a deadline. You want to write with a relaxed, directed urgency, rather than a slow aimless meandering.
Free flow and see what comes up.
You might be surprised at what you find.
1. Dreams and Motivations
"Everything you can imagine is real." ~Picasso
Write about things you want to happen in your life. What is most important to you?
What do you value the most?
You can get material here too. What does your dream house or environment look like and where is it; what kind of work do you want to be doing every day; with whom are you sharing those moments?
How far do you want to go with your career or craft?
What audacious successes would be exciting to aim for?
If you had to choose one craft you could develop mastery in every day, what would it be?
Experiment with ideas that might seem far-fetched. See how they make you feel. There are no limits.
What are the simple things in life you aren't enjoying enough?
The point with this is to remind you that you had dreams in the first place - to help you realise that perhaps you have allowed them to diminish; to show you what matters.
2. Problems and Solutions
"I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act." ~Bill Gates
It's time to embrace the suck.
Write all the solutions to your toughest challenge/s that you can think of.
The new clarity will motivate you to take action.
You will be amazed at what you find when you go fast, not stopping to think; only moving to write.
3. Fictional Worlds/Characters
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand." ~ Einstein
We're getting a little more imaginative here.
Write about a fictional world, city, town, or character in detail. What does it look, sound, smell and feel like?
What drives your character? What do they care for the most? What are they thinking?
Surprise yourself with the depth of your insight.
4. Wins and Thankfulness
In our pursuit of perfectionism, it's easy to gloss over our successes, and focus on our weaknesses; our lacks.
It can also feel like a waste of time to think about what we're thankful for. But, when I remember to do it, this has been great for my wellbeing.
Being aware of what we do have, where we have been already successful, even the small things, feels good.
Write about all your wins in life. Write about everything for which to be grateful.
The little tiny gains to the more prominent successes.
This is a space only for positive ideas.
Do this for a while and feel your confidence grow; your frequency climb.
See how you walk a little taller after you've done this.
Could this be something you do more than once in the future?
5. Invent
Come up with ideas for a new product, book or invention. Combine two ideas to make something unique.
Ask 'what if' questions.
"The power to question is the basis for all human progress." ~Indira Gandhi
Make two ideas have sex with each other and see what happens, as suggested by James Altucher, an Idea-Breeder at the top of his game.
Think of a problem that interests you that needs solving.
Think about products that you could potentially make with access to the right resources.
It can be a fun hypothetical idea, or perhaps a real invention no one has ever thought of.
Be a whacky scientist, visionary dreamer, or a logical pragmatist.
See what the words bring up.
🔆
Want to make money and impact from your writing?
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How to make it easier to do the things you don't feel like doing
You don't want to start.
Your heart goes faster.
You and your thoughts move quicker. You start to pace.
You're in a mild panic.
Because you panic, you want to take on many things at once.
You look at the beginning, and you look at the end, and you try to start in the middle too.
You also try and do that other thing with your free right foot.
I've told people to move fast before.
I've said to view yourself as a creative maniac, and rather than slow down, to ten times your productivity.
True.
But not until after you've created momentum.
And if things are hard, and you're panicking, and things seem bleak, dark, dull and impossible...
Slow down.
You only have one thing to do right now.
That is to figure out a way to make things easy.
And fun.
The greats appear to do things that are hard all the time.
But, in truth, they know how to make things easier, even if it starts out feeling tough.
Making things easy and fun, combined with the habit of acting, is why they are great.
Look at Conor McGregor when he's entering the ring during what one would think is the most terrifying thing. He has fun, even if he has to force it a little - it becomes fun - and this benefits his fighting style.
When things are fun, you enjoy what you're doing, and this is reflected in your results.
So how to make what you're doing fun?
Writing an essay?
What's a fun way to start?
When I'm panicking with my writing, and I have an article to do when I don't feel like doing it, I take a step back for a moment.
I let my body relax.
And I see past the complex web of what's in front of me. I understand how I can turn this into a fun adventure.
This starts with merely choosing to have fun. Nothing more than that.
I decide to have fun.
I write childishly and play with dreams, ideas and feelings on a page. Or maybe I write a list as long as I can make it. In crayon, on paper.
I allow my volcanic insides to erupt with feeling after I've unplugged the caldera through writing playfully.
I make it a game. I see how many ideas I can come up with to start, within ten minutes.
Then I choose my favourite idea, and I see how I can deliver that idea in an article in the smallest, shortest way.
I come up with a short, simple premise; then a five-line overview.
I'm focused on what is easy, and what is fun. Either or, or both.
Then I see how I can add depth to the idea by bringing in a story or an image for the reader that is interesting.
Then I expand the overview into something a little bigger.
Then I refine it, and I enjoy the refinement like a watch-maker enjoys tweaking the tiny pieces.
Whatever you face that is challenging for you, you can make it easier. Anyone can make something easier.
If you're panicking about something:
An event you're nervous about,
cleaning the house,
doing a live call,
going on stage...
How can it be made easier?
How can the way you think about it be made easier?
And how can that be made easier still? It can. It always can.
Maybe, the fact that there is little more you can do, but ACT comes clear to you. Your fear will fade.
The fool tries to make something harder.
Follow the easiest avenue. Sometimes you need to act even if you still don't want to.
Moving a step is not hard.
Then you just add the layers or allow the process to unfold itself.
And to the outsider, what you did looked hard.
But secretly, you enjoyed every step.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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It's not more information you need, but you do need to act
I love to read and absorb new information.
We get a dopamine hit when we learn something novel.
It's like our body rewarding us for taking on a new perspective that can serve us in our need to survive and thrive.
And so we're rewarded by taking in information.
This does come with a price, however.
There comes a point when the amount of information you take in begins to undercut your potential to turn that knowledge into impact.
You can't inspire more people in the real world if you're busy reading about life.
You can't reach a thousand hungry young students if you're tucked away at home learning 'one last module.'
So this requires self-awareness and a sense of balance.
We do need to consume, and I encourage it often (the good kind). This fuels our output and keeps us inspired.
But many of us use learning as an excuse to avoid action.
Because action can be frightening.
And fear can paralyse.
So this is what we need to do:
We need to be REAL with ourselves.
This means knowing when you're hiding versus learning and sharpening your skills.
This is why self-awareness combined with a healthy dose of animal instinct is so underrated and powerful.
Don't kid yourself.
You know, when you get your head out of the busyness for a moment - you KNOW when you're avoiding what needs to be done.
Identify what needs to be done. Often, it can make us uncomfortable and nervous.
But these are things you need to do more than anything.
Information is powerful, but only through action can your genius be realised.
🔆
Want to make money and impact from your writing?
Get your free booklet in your inbox instantly when you join the Mastery Den newsletter here.
'16 unconventional writing tips for joining the top 1% of online writers'
🐉
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Eight ways to stop being so uptight so you enjoy life far more
Hey Malcolm, buddy, 'stop taking life so seriously!'
Malcolm winced as he stared into his coffee.
He knew Daphne had a point.
He had to pinch himself because he'd forgotten again.
He'd been taking life seriously all week and had been walking around town like there was something firmly lodged up his backside.
He'd struggled to be productive at work, and now he was falling behind.
I agree with Daphne.
Being uptight reduces your effectiveness. It makes life miserable.
Here are some ways to loosen up:
Use struggle.
Didn't you get the memo? Yup. It's true.
Fussing and fighting aren't the only ways to deal with life's struggles.
There's an option B.
This is the door most of us keep firmly shut. Option B asks: How can I use this struggle?
Now you're in creativity territory - the realm of the wise and the god-like. Stop believing the hype that a little pain is all bad.
When you use struggle to improve your life, how can you fail?
Write out all your peeves.
Getting all those concerns out of your swirling mind is cathartic.
It separates you from your doubts.
We get overwhelmed when we fail to see the separation between our worries and ourselves.
We take things personally.
The way out is to express it.
Write it all down. Something will shift in you.
You will begin to see and think logically again.
Find the humour.
Become a world-class true detective...with you as the subject.
Become great at observing when you're taking things seriously.
Your little brow is all furrowed. Life is too short for this.
Yes, shit happens. Tragedies happen.
But here's the real, true deal: you are 100X less effective when you're gripped by seriousness.
OH NO WILDFIRES AND SHIT. SOME DUDE DIED IN A CAR ACCIDENT. POLLY THE PARAKEET CHOKED ON A CRACKER.
We get it - it's bad.
But if you let it influence your joy, you lose.
Woke news won. Find the humour in things where it's appropriate.
Not all that much is as TERRIBLE DOO DOO as you make it.
For God's sake, chill.
Work through your shame.
Many of us carry shame like an overloaded backpack on life's long hike.
It makes us uptight and weird.
That thing we did in our youth still informs our current behaviours.
That's some grade A silly. How to 'work through your shame?'
You question your beliefs.
Find the thing you think you believe about yourself that you deep down know is bullshit.
Like, 'I'm just not a very funny person.' Question it.
Find four examples of things that disprove it.
Shame will diminish when your beliefs change.
Exercise daily.
I know. This one seems so obvious, but it makes all the difference.
When we sit about on our fat arses all day, we can't be surprised if we feel frustrated.
This isn't something you do once and then forget.
This is for life. Daily exercise stills the mind and lifts the spirits.
We're the same humans essentially that roamed the Earth 150,000 years ago. They weren't cooped up.
We were born to move and walk, so move.
Transcend personality.
Newsflash: Personality isn't real.
We're multifaceted beings. We have many personalities if anything.
The only reason it might seem like you have one stubborn personality is that you're trapped by your thoughts.
You can be funny. You know this. You can be loud and crazy. You know this. You can be diligent and calm. You sure as SHIT know this too.
So stop Harry Houdini-ing yourself into one personality.
You're free.
The way out? Doing things. Action will inform your identity.
And you can do whatever the heck you want.
Create maniacally.
If you feel stuck, it's often your inner dragon's attempt to tell you it's time to stir life into that soulless corpse of yours.
You can do this through creative expression. The emphasis here is on movement and no holding back.
When we fear mistake-making, that's when the game's up.
You must create an environment that rewards stepping into uncertainty.
Paint more. Write more.
Focus on disgusting amounts of stuff.
Literally relax.
When Graham, the beefy dude at the beach says, 'Just relax, man - take it easy dood,' he's talking pure sense.
It's underrated.
You have the power to destress when you physically relax.
Slow your breathing. Talk slower. Let go a little.
Your thoughts will then follow.
Now you're thinking clearly.
. . .
I hope this helped.
Much love,
Alex
🔆
Want to make money and impact from your writing?
Get your free booklet in your inbox instantly when you join the Mastery Den newsletter here.
'16 unconventional writing tips for joining the top 1% of online writers'
🐉
|
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The topsy-turvy approach to figuring out your next life phase
I had a guy approach me recently with a dilemma.
He felt stuck and didn't know how to best spend his thirties and beyond.
He needed a change from his job.
He was feeling burned out and quite fed up.
So I suggested something that worked for me:
Start making and publishing content.
He looked at me blankly.
'But I don't know how I can be valuable. I still need to figure that out.'
I said, 'Listen buddy, people think of content in the wrong way. They think they must have it all figured out before sharing stuff online. You don't.'
Looking back over fifteen years of creating online content, I had no idea what I was doing most of the time.
I just kept creating and sharing stuff.
I wrote about what I was learning.
I wrote about what was bothering me.
I made videos about recent books I'd read.
I made podcasts about living in a new city.
The more I created, the more creative I became and the more opportunities I attracted.
And that there, my friend, is the GOLD.
When we become more creative, it's like a light bulb switches on.
And it's sad so many miss this.
Your creative mind and the feedback you get through regular sharing give you the answers.
You don't need a guy like me to tell you what's best for you.
Create first, then let the market and how people respond show you what to continue doing.
You just need the faith that continual creation will give you the data you want.
Don't wait before you have the perfect plan. Start now, no matter your line of work.
Because the planning is in the process.
Create content and see what sticks.
You'll have your answer sooner than you think.
My Online Writing Alchemy course takes this process to another level. It shows you how to make your writing resonate with your readers fast.
Couple this with regular posting, and you have a powerful combo that will show you the way while building your online presence.
Alex
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my Mastery Den newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
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Human coaching is the future
could this be your next phase?
I don't know if you've noticed, but the world is changing rather quickly.
People are worried about the future.
Little seems safe and secure.
A job seems risky.
And the reality is that AI will replace many.
But this presents a massive opportunity.
And that opportunity is passing on your knowledge, mentorship and human leadership.
Coaching, teaching, writing, running workshops.
I see all of this as:
'Facilitating transformation for others.'
Much of this work can be location-independent, which gives you options.
I've been coaching people around the world via zoom calls, writing, and online workshops for over a decade.
This preserves my flexibility and freedom. And it's fun.
You can coach people regardless of your age or background.
You don't even need coaching qualifications (I don't).
All you need are two things:
To be a step or two ahead of those who need help.
An awareness of these people's problems.
When I first started one-to-one coaching ten years ago, I was so nervous on calls my vision went blurry.
But it didn't take long for me to settle into it.
I focused on how to solve their problems, even if I wasn't an expert.
I focused on how to make other people's lives easier.
I focused on service.
And you can do it too.
Today, I charge $600 or more for an hour of my time.
I can do this remotely in the comfort of my home.
And you can coach via courses, books, articles and videos too.
And, in the age of AI, the human touch like this is desired more than ever.
Thousands out there are in need of your unique hybrid of experiences, secret talents, personality and skills.
People are hungry to learn from other humans who have made mistakes. (Could that be you?)
Focus on serving the right people, and you will have a way to make money doing what you love.
Writing consistently (like a human, not an AI) brought me a readership of over 200,000 in the last few years. It's brought me opportunities and clients I can work with all over the world.
If you want to avoid years of putting out dull writing that won't resonate with your ideal tribe and potential clients, you'll want the Online Writing Alchemy course.
Learn more here.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my Mastery Den newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
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Eight money-making shortcuts that actually work
They say there are no shortcuts in life.
Well, this depends on the knowledge you have and the perspective you take.
Here are some examples of money-making shortcuts that DO work:
Learn one money-making system.
People struggle to make much money because they have a system that complicates the process.
Namely, they try to take on too much at once when in reality, most money-creation techniques are straightforward.
When we take the courage to choose one model we can focus on for, say, the next six months, we will find it far easier to see what needs to be done and to take the necessary steps.
Be mentored.
There are few 'shortcuts' that are more direct than having the opportunity to talk to - and be guided by - people who have already done what you want to achieve.
You can save months and years of directionless mistake-making by hearing it from someone who's been through it all.
Many people are willing to answer questions and give up more extended periods to help. You just need to ask enough people.
And if direct guidance isn't possible right now, you can read their books and study their courses.
Let go of the idea that money is bad.
Psychological conflict is a significant block that stops many of us from acquiring the money we want.
We grow up accumulating unhelpful beliefs about money and wealth that associate it with unfairness, manipulation or even evil.
But this only depends on the context.
This has nothing to do with money, which is simply a tool.
Understanding that money is essentially a token of appreciation for your good work, you can detach yourself from the sabotaging thought that getting money is in some way 'bad.'
Pay to play.
You needn't spend money to make money, as the adage goes.
But so many people limit themselves by getting overly precious about investing money to allow them to reach higher levels of income.
One such way is paying to join groups, cohorts, coaching circles, masterminds and so on.
This gives you access not only to the specific knowledge you need to make money but, more importantly, to the people who can help you and open up new connections and referrals from which your money-making system stands to benefit the most.
Put more reps into less.
If we're spreading ourselves across a range of money-making schemes, we'll afford less time and attention put towards any one thing.
This is simple physics. Money needs your attention more than anything else, especially in the early stages of what you're building.
Making money requires you to show up repeatedly, to bring thought and repeated actions to bring about results.
So by focusing on less and bringing more daily action to that thing, you can gain a tremendous advantage.
This is how to grow a money tree that doesn't die.
Copy someone else's formula.
Many people have obviously succeeded in making a lot of money.
And many of those within this ensemble have put time into systematically demonstrating and teaching the world how they did it.
Invest time into learning other people's models rather than inventing your own process from scratch.
The Internet has brought with it untold resources in this way.
Your main challenge becomes filtering through these options and maintaining focus without getting diverted.
Stay broke.
This is something I learned from real estate mogul Grant Cardone.
Most people have yet to learn how to manage their money.
Because of this, they drain most of it before it has the opportunity to accrue into real wealth.
To avoid running on a hamster wheel of 'just enough,' the trick is to collect the money you earn and put it somewhere you can't access it.
This way, you stay broke because you develop the discipline to say no to expenses you don't need to spend.
You become rich more efficiently because that money accumulates fast, free of interference.
Focus on problems, not passions.
It's easy to follow the oft-repeated mantra of doing what you love.
It absolutely will help you to find a way to enjoy what you're doing.
The problem lies, however, with people getting overly romantic about the type of work they dedicate their time to at the expense of making much money. Not every income source was created equally.
If making money is your priority, focus on where you can viably solve real-world problems instead of focusing on your passions.
This simple shift in mindset gets you back into the world of earning because people pay money to solve problems and nothing else.
This needn't mean doing something you hate. Just don't expect it to continually revolve around your passions.
As you make money and develop mastery in that thing, you will likely build a passion for that thing anyway.
🔆
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No, you don't need to have gone through hardship to be happy
I see people talking about how the kindest, friendliest, happiest people are often those who went through loads of misery.
'They've seen things.'
'Only those who've been to the dark side can truly know life.'
People say that what we've 'been through' will directly influence who we are today.
I do believe, however, that this is simply a load of rubbish.
Absolutely - many genuine, lovely people went through many struggles in their lives.
And it's beautiful to see.
(Note: find me one person who hasn't gone through some kind of significant 'trauma' or hardship by the time they're 20. I'll wait).
But to suggest that you must have gone through hell to be happy or in some way more genuine is - frankly - bollocks.
The exact same thing applies to the equally popular concept that if we go through a complicated past, we're in some way bound to these experiences, and they will forever tarnish or colour our present experience and enjoyment.
Uh, no.
Stop the nonsense. It's decreasing your intelligence and limiting you.
A huge misconception I see people falling for again and again and again is the idea that our past experiences must define our current behaviours and states of mind.
This is false.
They do not.
And the degree to which we believe this is true reflects how easily limited we are by false thinking.
Stop falling for lies.
How miserable or happy you are right now has nothing to do with what happened.
And, yes, I get it. It can often seem that way.
But there is no connection except the one we create in the mind.
It does, however, have a lot to do with how you CHOOSE to respond to what happened. Or whether you choose to respond at all.
In fact, if you stop obsessing about your freaking past for five minutes, no matter how difficult it was, you may have a fleeting moment of peace.
Yes, this is really possible.
How?
Because peace is our default state.
Such a state is realised when we stop thinking we're not OK.
We really can enjoy our lives and feel good, and be resilient and be cheerful and light-hearted and see the good in things and others.
Regardless of what shit happened to you.
Life can be great.
It all depends on whether you want it to be, out of choice.
It's a habit.
The less we entertain thoughts that we've been stunted by others or other events, the more this muscle is exercised and the more at peace we will feel.
We could have been through absolute misery and come out happy and wise.
OR:
We could have had a relatively painless, enjoyable childhood and come out happy and wise too.
And you know both can make sense.
We've all met people who operate on both sides of such a spectrum.
We don't even need to see how it works with other people to understand the inherent truth in this.
We can observe it in ourselves.
You'll know from personal experience that when you entertain thoughts of the difficult moments in your past, you will tend to feel bad.
Maybe your teacher said something mean to you, and you think of that memory just before you get on stage to give that talk. You feel the pain of that memory, close up, and deliver a poor speech.
You feel your thoughts.
That's how it is.
But if you aren't holding on to grim thoughts, you will not feel grim.
That's how it works.
So, why is all this important?
Because understanding this points directly to our ability to live a vibrant life, regardless of the shit we went through.
And regardless of who we think we are.
We're only as miserable to the degree we think we are miserable.
So you may as well choose happy.
🔆
Do you want to be mentally stronger than most people?
If you enjoyed this, you will love my free illustrated booklet for you:
'The 12 Habits of Mentally Strong People.'
Yours free today for a short time, when you subscribe to my Substack newsletter.
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Signs you're on the path of greatness...
You've committed to a mission, project or cause with no Plan B. Failure is not an option.
Your mission is one that would be deemed 'absurd' or 'unreasonable' by even those closest to you. And you smile to yourself because this is precisely why you chose it.
Your decision to take up such a challenge - one that requires continual re-commitment - has you humming with energy. It also reinforces the profound sense that you are totally alone.
You go through the day in a near surreal daze, continually shaking off thoughts of doubt that try to sabotage and trick you into submission. But yet you hold fast.
You find your immunity to such distraction becoming stronger with every decision to remain on path.
It's no longer about the 'goal,' but about what kind of person you are embodying today - right now - as an expression of this fearless commitment.
There is a transcendent, mystical and warrior-like quality to the person you've chosen to become.
You're so deep in this that you even brush your teeth with a newly acquired sense of pride.
You find yourself walking a little taller. You take up more space where you sit. Where you once avoided another's gaze - you now hold it without a flinch.
You've stopped telling anyone about the plan, choosing instead to prioritise conscientious daily action over talk.
People are asking where you went.
You have restructured your habits to reflect this identity - and it takes little thought or coaxing to be and do what it takes.
Why question or resist the disciplines required in service to a mission far greater than yourself?
The naysayers and openly critical are emerging from their dark corners. They see you mean business, and they sense an attack on their perceived inferior sense of self. They want you down there with them, even though the choice was there to be inspired.
Your supporters are also gathering in droves, and the queue is forming around the block.
Many send you heartfelt words of encouragement, and others ask interested questions.
You are riding a near continual wave of adrenalin from the wins and little successes that accumulate.
This provides much-needed fuel to feed into the relentlessness of your daily action-taking.
You might find long swathes of the day disappear behind the fluidity of your flow and deep engagement in the work. You forget to eat occasionally, and your sleep may sometimes be interrupted.
Your intense commitment to the mission has reversed your prior tendency toward self-consciousness.
You experience a more profound sense of connection with those around you. You can't help smiling at little things in others that previously were of little interest.
Love for your fellow man is flourishing.
This is what it means to be on the path of greatness.
🔆
Do you want to be mentally stronger than most people?
If you enjoyed this, you will love my free illustrated booklet for you:
'The 12 Habits of Mentally Strong People.'
Yours free today for a short time, when you subscribe to my Substack newsletter.
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Five quick changes that make discipline 5X easier
Back in caveman days, being disciplined was so easy that discipline wasn't even a thing.
With a continual threat of death and starvation, there were genuine and visceral reasons for doing things with urgency, even if you didn't want to do them.
Now, most things are seemingly less urgent.
Without pressing, visible and tangible requirements for us to act in our comfortable, modern world, being disciplined is, well, bloody hard.
Setting goals. Being consistent with our work every day. Eating healthy. Getting out of bed early.
That kind of thing.
The biggest reason is that the benefits of these things are rarely immediately visible.
The benefit of getting out of the way of a rampaging gorilla in the jungle is immediately evident.
We know our life is at stake, and so we do what we need to do.
The discipline is there.
It is straight-forward.
In staying healthy, the immediate benefit of choosing not to eat that cupcake is pretty invisible.
To live a good life today requires discipline for doing things that are good for us - for things that move us towards our full potential.
And most of those things don't feel urgent. All of it seems - at first glance - equally non-essential.
Here's the thing:
It's not more discipline you need. Instead, you need to make discipline come easy.
Like our caveman friends, you want less of a need to be disciplined in the first place.
"The surest test of discipline is its absence." ~Clara Barton
We have the power and the strategies to make discipline effortless.
We have enough discipline.
We have plenty of discipline for watching Netflix when we're bored, gaming or eating doughnuts. That requires discipline, but it's effortless.
We need to apply 'effortless discipline' to those things that will make our lives amazing.
We need to make it as easy as it was to run as fast as we could when being chased by a tiger.
How?
1. Take away the friction in your environment.
Most of discipline is about optimising your environment:
The people you hang around with.
Your mental blocks, fears and doubts.
Your physical environment.
They can all hold us back, and they can all be improved. List out how you might do this for each one.
Easier said than done yes, but it can be insane when you think about all the things that are present in our lives that stop us from getting what we want.
What do you want, and what needs to go?
An example would be if you were trying to lose weight. If you're surrounded by chubby friends, cookies and ice-cream in your home, having the discipline to eat fewer sugary treats would be much, much harder.
By getting rid of junk and dealing with those relationships (sorry Cindy), you are optimising your environment - and you are making discipline easier.
Make sense?
2. Set yourself juicier, bigger goals
A lot of us either have no goals, or we don't make them big and exciting enough. Big goals are more interesting.
They motivate us to want to pursue them. Go for your dreams. Go for big goals. Think big and draw up a vision of what you want.
Check in with those goals every day and make an action plan that leads to daily action towards those goals.
This makes discipline easier.
3. Be clear on why you must have what you want
Come up with a list of all the reasons why those above goals are worth pursuing, including why you can't afford to continue the way you are going.
This takes goal-setting a step further.
Having clarity on why you want will take your motivation to be disciplined to the next level.
4. Be clear on the small steps you need to take
Most of us find discipline for the things that matter exceptionally hard. One of the main reasons for this is having a lack of clarity on what to do.
We procrastinate because we just aren't clear on the steps we need to take, from the year, down to six months, to thirty days, right down to each day.
A lot of people, including myself, get excited about the idea of something they'd like to achieve but fail to create a plan to work themselves towards that thing, step by step.
They want to get straight to the juicy stuff.
We give ourselves too big of a chunk to chew, with no smaller steps in between, and we inevitably fail and wonder why.
The secret here is to work your way up to things. Identify the next small step, and take that step.
If, for example, you want to build a coaching business that earns $150,000 per year with each client paying $2000 per month. You would first need to get a handle on your niche, and the process you would need to take prospects through to buy a session. Then you'd set the challenge of landing a sale of $750 per month. And then $1000, and then $1500 per client, and so on.
Each time, the challenge is incrementally more of a stretch, but not so much of a stretch that you are incapable of dealing with it.
Shortcuts don't work.
Small steps make discipline easier.
Build yourself up to things, and almost anything is possible.
Having someone guide you or hold you accountable can take this even further. Investing in a coach could be huge for you like it has been for me.
5. Build successful habits
Habits are things you do all the time without thinking about them. Your brain is wired to do them automatically.
Habits can be good for you, or bad for you.
Most people who appear incredibly disciplined just likely have better habits. Many famous writers, for example, have the habit of writing a certain number of words every day. They have built that habit muscle over time.
First, they take action, and then their brains adapt to the repeated action until it becomes easier to do.
Your job is to build small habits that help you get to where you want to go. The hardest part about building habits is the first month or two.
To really cement a new habit, whether it's eating better or exercising, or creating online content, you would do it for sixty days in a row or more.
Once you've internalised that action, you're flying, and suddenly discipline won't even be a thing.
🔆
Do you want to be mentally stronger than most people?
If you enjoyed this, you will love my free illustrated booklet for you:
'The 12 Habits of Mentally Strong People.'
Yours free today for a short time, when you subscribe to my Substack newsletter.
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Nine unique habits that will motivate you more than 95% of people
For most of my life, I believed motivation was a personality trait possessed by the lucky few.
I was wrong.
It turns out we cultivate unstoppable motivation through our behaviours.
In other words, we can choose to be motivated.
I learned after years of procrastination that when I took on motivated habits, I realised more energy than I knew I had.
Though I don't always feel motivated, these habits keep me feeling motivated more of the time:
1. Daily ideation.
I never knew that feeling like a creative machine was a thing, until I started writing brainstorm lists as a daily habit.
The brain responds to our repeated behaviours. In other words, we become more and more creative the more we use our creative muscle.
When we regularly create new ideas and solutions, we feel more motivated.
Why?
Because to create with intensity is to answer the call of what it means to be human.
2. Commit to elite physical health.
'Taking care of yourself' is boring.
Commit, instead, to developing and nurturing the most optimised physique and health you can, given what you're able to work with.
There's nothing more energising than to be on the path of not only tending to your health (yawn), but rather - to master health.
Lift heavy weights with a conscious view to sculpting an outstanding body.
Find mentors who understand how to optimise the body and diet. Eat the best quality primal food.
Walk for hours every day.
Mastery is fun and energising.
3. Finish things.
Starting things is one thing, but how many of us get excited about starting something new, and then leave it unfinished?
We chase that next shiny thing. This is a serious issue in the Internet world, and one to which I can relate. Every time we don't finish, we're voting against ourselves.
Results come to those who repeatedly assert themselves to completion.
When we act boldly, with a strong intention to follow through with what we start, we become that energy.
Finish what you start, build a picture of yourself as a 'finisher,' and you will feel unstoppable.
4. Avoid artificial dopamine sources.
I get it: porn, video-games, social media, energy-drinks, movies - they're fun, addictive, and extremely pleasurable forms of escape.
The problem?
These things (porn most of all) cause high dopamine spikes and literally fry your dopamine receptors.
This means you become increasingly numb to 'normal' forms of stimulus.
Things which previously motivated you, like making art, being out in nature, and enjoying sex with a real human, now bring you less of a buzz.
Cutting back on these things will give you a renewed drive, and an advantage over most everyone else.
5. Prioritise doing difficult things.
Be careful with this cutesy advice: 'focus on what makes you happy!'
This is a surefire way to live an unhappy and mediocre life (you won't grow).
Do this instead: focus on things that interest you and bring you enjoyment. But then, within this avenue - whether it's writing, or coaching, or design - ensure you regularly do things that make you nervous. Your fears are pointing you to opportunities, and fear rarely feels enjoyable.
Hard things, coupled with stuff that interests you: that's the sweet spot.
6. Stop being focused.
Wait, what? Yes, I said it.
I realised over the years that when I pressured myself into being more focused, I lost motivation, and - ironically - I became less focused.
When we put stress on ourselves to be or do anything, our performance drops. We tighten up. Motivation is born out of a looseness in body and mind.
We can't be loose if we're trying too hard to be 'focused.'
Sure, set goals and targets, but allow them to breathe and evolve.
Let go to enjoying the process without being attached to the outcome.
7. Master body scanning.
Want to know why we procrastinate and feel resistance to taking action? We limit ourselves in the mind.
When we tell ourselves 'I can't,' we literally feel that thought physically.
We feel it as laziness or tiredness, or a stuck feeling in our chests. The solution? Become present to the feeling.
Observe it closely. Maintaining awareness on the feeling will dissolve it (and the thought) in real time. This is a great practice to apply to any resistance you feel through the day.
Sit with it and watch it float away.
In the absence of physical 'stuckness,' wisdom and enjoyment will appear.
8. Be remarkable to those who matter.
Many of us struggle because we underwhelm ourselves in our actions and creations.
We operate at 80%. We're doing 'just enough,' before ducking out and heading to the pub with our mates.
The unstoppable have one mission underlying everything they do: make it remarkable.
Be surprising and unexpected in all you do.
This needn't be reserved for everyone (common courtesy is obviously vital) - but focus on bringing remarkable value to those who you want to include in your vision for success.
Vital energy will be gifted to those who aim to deliver at higher levels.
9. Stop trying to 'fix' yourself.
While everyone else is transfixed on 'self-love' and 'healing,' you're different.
You have learned to let go of the need to change yourself.
Why would you need to put effort into 'self-love' if you love yourself by default?
No. You are dedicated to action and success, as you see it. Stop trying to fix yourself. You're already whole. Your life is already a damn miracle.
Stop. Healing is an excuse.
The most loving thing you can do for yourself is get out of bed in the morning and attack the day.
This is how to instil an unstoppable energy.
Do this and the world will watch you in awe.
🔆
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15 short paragraphs that will give you an unfair advantage as an online writer
I was told today that I'm number three out of the top writers on Medium for self-improvement.
Out of a pool of tens of thousands of writers, that's pretty neat, and it motivates me to write more.
Follower numbers aren't everything, but the number reflects what's possible when you work your way through the ranks with awareness.
Here's what I learned that will set you apart:
You can't get far if you cannot master the art of turning a dull writing session into a symphony of colour, energy, emotion and story.
On the other hand, you'll struggle if you have such high expectations for your writing that you never start at all.
The most visible online writers tend to be those who, for whatever reason, choose the unreasonable path. This path would strike fear in the hearts of most normie writers who want to do the least to get the most.
It's better to put something out that's 80% than to put nothing out at all.
One of the best sources for powerful content is talking to people and getting into the hearts and minds of humans directly from the source. What are their pain points? Most importantly, what are yours? Use all of it and help them with solutions.
You don't need a perfect website, logo, or brand before you share plenty of articles; you figure out the former by writing a lot.
Good writers write when they feel like it. Great writers write regardless of how they feel at the start.
You needn't be some modern globe-trotting Indiana Jones to have good material to write about. Fascinating stories are lurking in your local supermarket, park, bus route, and storage cupboard.
You must be willing to publish something when it feels like you've already published enough. Be uncommonly prolific. It's still a drop in the ocean on the Internet.
If you want to succeed on a particular platform, you need to spend time reading what others write and examine what others are doing that is working. Do more of what works for that platform in its current season, as the season changes frequently.
You must move past the idea that manipulative writing is bad. You are a manipulator of emotions, whether you like it or not. It's down to you whether this is misused or not, as it can be. You must learn how to use words to persuade, entice, and encourage.
If you don't see your work as a craft to master to the point of obsession, you will not enter the top 1% of online writers.
Start getting good at using metaphors. People love it when you give them the chance to draw a picture of what you mean in their own minds (just like I did) without telling them straight what you mean. Metaphors are a skillful way to do this and are one of the most attractive tools in writing.
The most explosive pieces you can write emanate from a sense of connection to all things. You must find genuine love for your fellow human, with a real will to help.
You don't need to be the best writer to be one of the best writers. You just need to write consistently and with heart.
🔆
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How to be insanely creative without burning out
I beat myself up when I procrastinate.
Life is so damn short. For me, it's inexcusable to lose too much time to excuse-making.
But I know how important it is to produce things—not just one or two things, but many things—similar things—day after day after day.
It's not all about quality at first. Worry about quality later. It's about getting something down on paper today.
The Internet vividly reminds me that seemingly everyone is better, more talented, and more efficient than I am.
I know that to avoid slipping into the unknown, I need to keep making things and getting as many people as possible to see them often.
There is no alternative route to gaining attention in this mind-bending matrix of creative output.
I just have to make more. Even if it's just to keep me from getting angry with myself.
Whenever I produce and share lots of things in less time, the right things happen.
Opportunities come. Money is made. Like buttons are clicked.
It is what allowed me to gain traction as an illustrator when I was fresh-faced in the industry.
Good things happen when I write more. It happens when I draw more pictures.
Starship Pencil came across some Interstellar debris.
There are two important reasons for this.
The first is that I improve, and often very quickly. The second is that with more material created, I can finish, deliver and share more.
That's more people who see and can respond to better work.
So, how do we create more when procrastination's ugly face is staring right at us?
People often talk about the merits of writing in short sprints. These are timed exercises in which you type out whatever comes to mind without thinking about it too much.
You are writing fluidly, and you are writing in volume.
Doing this has led to accumulating hundreds of thousands of words on my computer.
A lot of it is admittedly rubbish. Random thoughts floated up and were stamped onto paper.
But more has been done, and often with little thought. My belief has grown as daily word counts tick happily upwards.
I now have more written fodder that can be cut down and refined into meaningful work.
More edited output at the ready means more material that can be shipped and published sooner.
And I am happy once again.
How can you apply the model of free-flowing writing sprints to your own work?
Sketch more. Photograph more. Experiment more. Build more.
And do it all without expectation.
Many of us create to finish rather than letting ourselves ease into the process of making things. Of course, we can improve and simplify later.
When we have too much to lose, we don't do.
When I approach the page without worry, I act.
Writing many words in a short window has given back my time.
My craft gets sharper.
And more things are delivered to the people that need it.
🔆
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The mental 'hack' that diminishes your problems...
Take a moment to bring all your problems into your awareness all at the same time.
You'll likely find it quite hard to do.
Because we can only think of one thought at a time.
Trying to think of several things at once is a very similar experience to not thinking of anything in particular.
When we're not thinking, we're fully present.
Do that for a moment.
Be aware.
Take note of all the objects, sights, colours, textures and sensations around you.
Here, there are no problems.
There are no labels.
No pressing challenges.
No stresses.
There is no meaning.
Just the crystal clear beauty of the right now.
But what's cool in all this is that you can return here whenever you like.
To this purity.
You aren't obliged to spend half your day on the magic carpet of thoughts about how shitty everything is.
You're no closer to control this way.
In fact, you're floating away from any semblance of it.
When we have the courage to shift our attention, like turning the lens of a camera, to something at a new depth of field...
We can be instantly free of problems.
And our performance improves immeasurably.
We aren't shirking our responsibilities when we drop our problems of the mind - very much the opposite.
We're being irresponsible when playing the brain dead game of thought-surfing into the abyss of darkness.
When the mind is still and there is space for intelligence to come through, we are our strongest.
Not in worry.
Not in the past.
In motion - here - with a smile on your face and a sparkle in your eye.
You will never be happier than in this moment.
🔆
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What I learned watching birds in the rain
Last week, I watched a sparrow hunker down in a drizzle.
It was a cutey.
It's claws gripped the branch, the wind picking up, the bird looked around with keen, sharp head turns.
It seemed unperturbed by the declining weather.
I thought about how we react to metaphorical rains in life.
This little bird wasn't panicking, reaching for the nearest umbrella.
It wasn't darting off to find shelter. It simply stayed put, ruffling its feathers, waiting it out.
I couldn't look away.
There was something quietly profound in its stillness. It served as a reminder that storms (whether they're in the sky or in your head) always pass.
We humans, though, love to overcomplicate things, don't we?
When the rain comes, we scramble, dash for cover, or curse the heavens.
But sometimes, the best move is no move at all.
Instead of fighting the storm, what if we just sat with it? Let the rain fall. Let it drench us.
I don't actually mean sit there in the rain like a right Wally, but you get what I'm saying.
It's a metaphor ;).
That sparrow reminded me that resilience doesn't require putting up a fight.
It's about trusting that you can handle whatever comes your way, even if that means just sitting still.
So, what storms are you waiting out right now?
Let them pour.
You're tougher than you think.
Redirect your attention to what is in your control, right in front of you.
And when we give something time, we may find things sort themselves out, like they often do.
🔆
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The eight basic habits of the luckiest people
The foundational habits that will attract more success into your life
Lucky is not a personality trait.
Nor is it a divine blessing.
I've spent years figuring out what makes people find success and attract positive things into their lives.
I learned that being lucky results from a series of creative acts.
It's not something you are born with.
It's not a gift afforded to people from specific cultural groups over others.
In other words, luck is the result of 'lucky habits.'
The more these habits are enacted, the luckier I have seen people become.
These are the foundational habits of the perpetually lucky:
1. They take lots of action.
Given that luck happens when you expose yourself to more opportunities, the missing foundational catalyst in creating more options for you is: do more. The more action you take, the more the world will take notice.
Be a maniac.
Attention placed on you and your work through doing more will bring more luck into your life.
2. They do more hard things.
Why not focus on what is easy and only on what makes you happy?
Because 'hard' is almost always code for high leverage activities that make you nervous or feel challenging.
Hard things, be it having difficult conversations with people or speaking on a stage, put you ahead of most people because most people avoid these things.
Beyond opening up more rewards for you, demanding things will stretch you and make you stronger - therefore propelling you even further.
3. They prioritise flexibility
Unlucky people limit themselves and their environments, inadvertently making their life devoid of luck.
When a challenge veers into view, whether a hefty tax bill, a divorce, or the threat of environmental disaster, they are forced to take significant losses.
Lucky people are continually aware of the need to remain flexible and footloose with a mature approach to creating backups and safety nets in their lives to endure fewer losses and - ultimately - enjoy more 'lucky' wins.
4. They risk being disliked.
The greatest documented fear beyond death itself is our fear of being criticised by others.
As such, most people actively avoid the pain of conflict and the potential to be rejected.
Avoidance has never been part of any formula for a lucky life. To be lucky, you must be willing to have people dislike you.
This means getting yourself out there, speaking your truth, and being bold as hell.
5. They consistently take risks.
Taking risks doesn't mean you live recklessly and do stupid things that put your life at risk. Lucky people know that they must be ok with taking on a risk for greater rewards.
But not just any risk. Ask any wealthy or incredibly successful person how they got there, and most will talk about taking regular, thought-through, calculated risks.
Luck rarely comes off the back of playing it safe.
6. They are givers.
Many miserable people who never seem to get anywhere share a common habit: they are takers.
They expect things to be a certain way and get more upset when things don't go their way.
They exist in an endless cycle of victimhood, always quick to blame others for their misfortunes.
Happy, lucky winners know that rewards will come their way in abundance when they follow the hidden Universal rule: you get what you give.
The more one gives, be it in sharing value and generosity or giving without expectation, the more will be reciprocated.
There isn't a direct formula in this, but the more one gives in general, the more likely you are to prompt others to return the flow of energy back to you.
7. They focus on creating, not consuming.
If consuming is equivalent to staying at home, creating opens the door and stepping outside.
Luck isn't waiting for you in your living room. You must leave home and focus on creating new things, whether new products, a piece of art, a relationship or writing a book.
And you must create every day.
If you're not creating, you live life passively, and passive is a slow death. Lucky people know that creation is about moving fearlessly.
Only in creative motion will you beat a path to the fantastic rewards that make life worth living.
8. They make the first move.
Lucky people are well aware of the spell that steers most people: they can't act unless they know it will mean being accepted.
Lucky people act whether it will lead to acceptance from others or not. This could look like starting a unique business, being an early adopter, or talking to a stranger.
This often means that decisions can lead to making mistakes, looking bad, and being criticised.
Lucky people care less.
They know that by committing to a strategy of making the first move often, they open themselves to a vast array of treasures that the scared, conformist masses will never enjoy.
🔆
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Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
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17 sentences that will make you a more impactful online writer than 97% of writers
After fifteen years of writing consistently online, I've learned there is no end point you reach where all your writing woes suddenly diminish.
I'm continually learning and constantly adapting.
I have, however, picked up some reliable cause-and-effect tips that help me:
Before estimating your writing success, you must be willing to write and publish three hundred articles without judgment.
Readers are incredibly adept at sniffing out your intention. If your intention is anything other than looking to genuinely improve the life of a single reader, you will struggle.
All pieces of writing, from tweets to books, follow the three-part structure of hook (grabbing attention), build (rising tension), and payoff (final resolution).
You will struggle to resonate if you try to write for everyone instead of writing for one person you visualise as being intimately connected to you.
Do not waste the reader's time with waffly and bloated sentences full of unnecessary words - keep it tight.
You must write for yourself first but within the context of helping a defined group of people.
If your words lack the emotional electricity that springs from real belief, your reader will not believe you either.
You can write a fantastic essay without an attention-grabbing hook and suffer the consequences of obscurity.
No idea is truly original (and interesting) until you combine seemingly disparate ideas in creative ways.
You will lose your readers by assuming they understand concepts, and attract readers by painting vivid pictures for them with descriptions and examples.
Writing is easy, except we make the process complex in the mind.
The best online writers are not merely here to write; they do what they do to further a cause that fires them up every day.
All online writing must be entertaining, and one of the best ways to be entertaining is to be unexpected.
The best writers do not rely on passion to write but rather use writing to generate passion within themselves.
Every unit of writing, whether a tweet, post or book, must be relevant to the central problem you are writing about for that unit.
You aren't really a writer if you don't see yourself first as a leader and an entertainer second.
You don't write to give people more information; you write to raise someone's status, well-being, or wealth - or you help them save time.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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The power of white noise for being more creative
I've always been hypersensitive and can get overwhelmed by thinking.
I can be wholly incapacitated physically, even though a party's going on in my head.
So I like to work in cafes and public spaces to avoid losing my mind by myself in my room.
But in these places I can get fidgety and distracted, with various noises, talking, laughing and loud music (especially here in Thailand) poking their way into my awareness.
I sometimes listen to music but have found that even though I enjoy it, I tend to work faster and more efficiently without it.
Sometimes I allow myself to be distracted; people watch; to get lost in the racket, movement and chaos of reality around me.
However, I don't put much to paper that way.
Some time ago I tried listening to 'white noise' to help me focus.
It seems like a radical and primitive solution, but it has worked for me, notably.
It can be the warm and airy recorded whoosh of an aircraft cabin in flight. It can be tinkling rain in an exotic forest. It can be pure static.
*crackle* *crackle* *crackle* *crackle* *crackle* *crackle*
It is calming and helps me get into 'flow' more quickly.
The problem with general environmental noise is that anything jarring, like an overheard conversation or the crashing of cutlery, can pull you out of this state.
As a writer, I rely on being in flow, even more so than when I was working as an illustrator because I find there is more conscious, problem-solving thought required in writing, and white noise gives some room for that.
When I go out to work, and even when I am working from home, I play white noise through my Sony Extra Bass noise-cancelling headphones. These have the extra benefit of cutting out additional background noise.
I download the audio to my laptop or phone, so I can work without being connected to the Internet.
I enjoy the sounds of rain or the sea, though I find I am most productive with the aeroplane cabin sound on loop.
White noise creates a uniform, buzzing thread of sound that covers up surrounding noise, calms me, intercepts endless rumination and spiralling thought, and through this calming effect, stimulates my subconscious mind to bubble up ideas more easily.
What's interesting about white noise is, on top of acting as a cushion of sound to help you relax and focus, it can stimulate creativity.
I find that sounds of thunder, sea, wind and rain, or waterfalls, take me to a new place, triggering new ideas and thoughts just by being in a seemingly different atmosphere or world.
White noise might not be as exciting as music, but it is enjoyable enough, and I get far more done when I listen.
Using white noise is no guarantee of being more productive, nor will it necessarily lead to better, more creative work.
But I dare you to try.
—
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Driving lessons in the murder capital of the world
I learned to drive in Kingston, Jamaica in the early 2000s.
My family was posted there.
Kingston had the highest murder rate in the world at the time, and my local instructor liked to keep things interesting.
He'd welcome me with a 'Wagwan bruddah!' and a toothy grin.
His car was an old souped-up Nissan he'd rigged with engine boosters (I'm serious).
The streets were alive with chaos. Stray goats wandered across the roads as a distant gunshot popped. Potholes appeared out of nowhere, and intersections felt more like experiments in survival than traffic management.
I was terrified at first, clutching the wheel like it owed me money.
But over time I started to feel the rhythm of it. My grip loosened, my reactions sharpened.
My confidence grew.
And today, I can enjoy driving in random countries with far more ease.
What struck me later was how much that experience taught me about the value of doing things a little different.
The best kind of learning doesn't always happen in comfortable, controlled environments.
It happens when you're tested, when you're put in situations most people wouldn't attempt.
If you can handle learning in unconventional situations, you can handle far more than most people ever will.
This goes for writing and other things too. The topics that make you hesitate are often the ones worth exploring. They can feel vulnerable or scary, and that's ok.
There's opportunity here.
Courage rewards you with exhilarating adventures.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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Most people struggle with online business because they don't know their WHY
Clients often approach me to help them figure out how to stand out and get more engagement online.
Not one person who succeeds at a high level, in the long run, fails to understand their deeper WHY.
A why that goes beyond survival and making money.
This is less important if you're in survival mode right now, but still crucial if you want to stay in the game.
But it's failing to share your WHY that even huge accounts fail to sell anything.
Look at the most prominent personal brands that have loyal fans.
They're ALL about fighting a cause and bringing fans into that cause.
Sharing information lists is no longer enough.
People may like your post, but they're just thanking you for taking out a couple of steps.
A robot can spit this out for you.
So, it's about sharing more of who you are, how your information relates to you specifically (or those you help), and what drives you.
For example, with a friend of mine, Kieran Drew, his thing is going from being tied down in a job you hate to creating freedom via online business.
Another example is a guy I'm friends with on Twitter: Ego Driven.
He's an anonymous account, but attracts a loyal crowd because he brings emotion into his content and exposes harsh truths, which reflects his deeper why.
You can't be emotional without purpose.
Their content is closely tied to their personal journey on their mission.
That's why it flies.
Standing out and staying motivated in the long run means creating in an authentic and energising way for you.
Knowing your broader purpose helps with this directly. Your followers will then pick up on this energy and feel more connected.
So understand what gets you emotional.
Bring that into your brand.
Then use that energy to fuel consistent and authentic work, pointing to more of what works.
This will, in turn, bring in the right people who share your purpose.
This is what unifies all of you.
It's here where the real power of personal branding lies.
These people will trust you, love you and buy from you.
🔆
Want to make money and impact from your writing?
Get your free booklet in your inbox instantly when you join the Mastery Den newsletter here.
'16 unconventional writing tips for joining the top 1% of online writers'
🐉
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How to be more creatively productive - without losing your soul
Getting your creative work noticed, let alone gaining fans and followers can seem like a lost cause.
So much quality. So many energetic souls. A multitude of talent out there to compete with.
But as I've said before, if you make creative products, to get anyone to notice you in this frantic world, you need to produce things of quality, plenty of them, and share them consistently.
Now here's where we hit a snag.
Everyone is telling us - and rightly so - that we need to create great work.
Marketing is important, but it means nothing if your product stinks.
This is true.
But the problem is emphasising quality first.
If we set out to make something really fantastic, guess what happens?
We scare ourselves because anything that is great, especially by our own standards, using our own brains and hands, is HARD.
And so we hold back. We find excuses not to do that thing which is hard.
And then we wonder why we keep procrastinating. Because we keep giving ourselves humongous challenges. Of course we choose to eat Pringles and watch Netflix, silly.
Here's my 'formula' for producing a lot of great work, consistently:
Consistency ⮕ Volume ⮕ Simplification
Step back from the drawing board, drop your shoulders and relax a second.
For the next seven days, do something tiny every day.
You could eat something tasty and sweet daily, but it might be better if it's something you enjoy making.
Write 50 words. A sketch. Take a picture. Write a line of code. Record a 10 second video.
Work without expecting anything. Poor, ugly work counts here. 50 words of unadulterated bilge gets my nod. If you want to do more, do more, but start here and make sure it happens.
Mark a big X in your calendar every day you created something - anything.
At the end of the week, you've achieved something very substantial. You might have added small pebbles of mediocre contributions to the arts and sciences, but most importantly you've been consistent.
Now you're in the top 10% of all humans. You're forming the habit of making with frequency.
Now we're into week 2...
As the formula states, consistency is more important than volume, which is the next step in the equation.
We need to start adding volume to your creative habit. Continue on with consistently doing something small, but now you want to add more. As much as you can. It can be bad, awful work. That's fine. We're just training ourselves to produce a lot.
Set yourself a target of 500 words say. If you smash past that, go further.
Do as much as you can, as long as you don't forget to pay your rent. Scribble out a ton of sketches. Time yourself, work fast, and flow.
Do this on as many days as you can for a week. At the end of week 2, you're now not only consistent but someone who can produce abundantly.
What's good about this?
You are adding new nodes and creative experiences to your mental library. You are toning your productive muscles.
You are becoming a creative machine.
Consistent and voluminous output has yanked your starter engine into full power.
Your machine might be spitting out junk, but if you look closely it's printing out pages that aren't in full colour yet. The printer needs a few more rounds until the ink becomes stickier.
So how do we create pages in full colour? How do we make quality?
Rather than getting wound up about quality, focus on simplification, the next part of the formula.
Continue to create a lot, frequently, and you have material that can be whittled down, fine-tuned, improved, edited, and re-written if needed.
You also have more content that can be shared with the world too, don't forget.
As well as showing people you exist, this provides feedback for guiding what needs tuning.
Learn more about your area of focus, not to become bloated with knowledge, but so that you can streamline what you've already produced.
As Albert Einstein said, "everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
Now you are a machine producing a quality page for every five.
You're no longer aspiring to be a creative genius.
You are one.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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Fifteen subtle ideas that will make you happier than 96% of people
If the header of this article got you annoyed, you might benefit from reading on.
I know, I'm being cheeky.
But how we interpret the world (and the juicy hooks we read) plays a big role in our overall well-being.
Here are some ideas that have helped me maintain my happiness even if I have ups and downs:
Happiness is not something you get from 'out there.'
We all have access to it from within, but we often close ourselves off to this spring of happiness.
We do this in our thoughts and in how we pollute our bodies with junk and drugs.
In seeking happiness, we emphasise that we haven't got it yet, which makes us feel less happy.
When you are present and relaxed, you are happy, regardless of what is happening in the world that you dislike when you think about those things.
It's okay to not always feel okay.
It doesn't mean something is wrong.
Our resistance to not feeling okay often strengthens the feeling of 'unhappiness.'
The quickest route to feeling more of our innate happiness is to let go of resistance to the nature of things.
If you really want a neat trick for staying depressed - blame others for your problems.
If you want a fast track to feeling good, take ownership of your shit, quit whining and create something.
Humans are creative beings.
If we react more (complaining) than create (building), we deny who we are.
Losing what it means to be human is why we feel unhappy.
An overlooked component in happiness research is withdrawal and imbalance.
When we consume processed crap, we'll feel bad, and it's challenging to feel happy when our body is in disarray after eating a bowl of Twinkies.
When we quit any kind of drug, even caffeine, we'll feel withdrawal - including psychological withdrawal.
I've felt flat and unmotivated for weeks because of this, but I am still happy beneath it.
I don't equate short-term displeasure and chemical imbalance with unhappiness.
The happiest people have stopped looking for happiness.
Instead, they focus on creating things, being consistent, and being useful to others.
You can be the happiest person in the room and not feel jacked up and high.
Modern (unhappy) normies think that happiness means you need to be smiling big, sparkly smiles all the time. It doesn't.
Happiness is quiet acceptance, not amped on dopamine.
An unnatural diet inhibits your ability to feel happy and creative.
This is why I eat a primal diet that hasn't changed much in the last 1000 years.
Human bodies evolve slowly. Our diets have evolved quickly.
Is there a link between brain fog and wolfing a loaf of bread? Of course there is.
Bread and doughnuts are processed (delicious) garbage that blocks your deepest sense of happiness.
Many of us are frustrated because we think things need to be harmonious for us to live a good life.
But life is chaos, num nuts. Let go to this reality. Expect the shitty moments. When they come, you can take them gracefully.
You navigate the Earth like water, not mud.
We've lived entirely out of sync with how humans have naturally grown accustomed to living.
I.e. spending lots of time outdoors, in the sun, eating meat, broth and a bit of fruit, and not typing in equations on Spreadsheets.
Most of this modern work we get stressed about is essentially meaningless manufactured claptrap soon to be replaced by robots, here to prop up an illusory machine that could collapse at any moment.
What does this all mean?
It means we must find compassion for ourselves.
You're doing incredibly well for someone willing to put up with all this - as we have for centuries.
The best we can do is make the most of it, find meaningful work that interests us, and find a way to enjoy it.
Happy people are willing to be disliked if it means embracing and expressing their true nature.
Follow what others might criticise as 'weird' if it's ethical and makes you happy.
Finally, if you're worried that you aren't 'happy enough,' you might want to look into letting go of yourself and figuring out a way to make others happy.
One way (I hope) I do this is through my daily writing.
I can see I help people through my words, and this makes me the happiest of all.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
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25 things I'd tell my younger, anxious self to feel unstoppable
What I learned over 38 years I wish I was told when I was younger.
Personality is temporary and made up. You can be who you want to be.
No one has the power to lower your self-esteem because self-esteem is an illusion.
Rejection is a sign you are growing and living. It's not a big deal.
Your thoughts create stress, not the world around you. It may seem like it does, but the pain comes from you. Let go.
Saying what you really mean (not what you think you 'should' say) is not easy but you lose your dignity and a piece of yourself each time you say what you don't mean.
You are much more effective when you aren't thinking so much.
Slow your breath to slow your thoughts.
Slow your talking and your movements to calm down.
Exercise more than most, and you will be calmer (and stronger) than most.
Start lifting weights today.
You feel what you eat. Eat junk, and you will feel like junk, so choose wisely.
You are already confident; you just think you're not.
The more you act, the more confident you will feel.
There is power and joy in the present moment. It's all you have. Your advantage is in the present, always.
Learn about spirituality and becoming more conscious today - start with The Power of Now.
Create something every day. It will revitalize you.
It may seem as though worry is helpful, but it absolutely isn't. Every minute spent worrying is making you feel worse.
Choose happiness, don't wait for it.
Don't expect others to make you happy. Don't expect anything from anyone, in fact.
Blaming others for anything only makes you more miserable and weaker.
Be self-reliant and revel in your progression here, but don't detach from people.
Feel better about yourself by focusing on making others happy. Think less about yourself.
No one judges you as much as you think. They are preoccupied with their own insecurities.
Struggle is part of life, but most of us make up what struggle is. Expect it and own it.
Finally, know that life can be a wonderful experience.
It needn't be a constant struggle.
You can turn around a bad day instantly because of who you are and the strength you can easily access. We are allowed to have fun every single day.
Don't allow your thoughts or someone else to take that from you.
🔆
Want to make money and impact from your writing?
Combine a clear mind, and an energised soul with powerful writing and brand growth.
Get your free booklet in your inbox instantly when you join the Mastery Den newsletter here.
'16 unconventional writing tips for joining the top 1% of online writers'
🐉
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The only thing stopping you is your thoughts
I was talking to someone recently about the stress they were having.
They described how challenging it could be at work with all the pressure of tight deadlines and a boss who didn't seem to have any empathy.
Their work and their boss stressed them out daily.
Me being me with my coaching hat on, stepped in and said, 'You know stress is a man-made illusion, right?'
That's right.
Stress isn't actually a thing.
It's a name some clever clogs in a lab gave to all the feelings of resistance we have to the world around us.
When we tighten up inside and resist what is happening around us, this is felt as stress.
But it's just energy. We're responding to the chaotic theatre of our thoughts.
Don't get me wrong - resisting life, and feeling what appears to be stress CAN have a negative physical impact on the body.
Stress slowly kills.
But this just proves the point further.
Our thoughts hold a ton of power.
If we believe our thoughts, we are at a major risk.
Thoughts will always come and go as they do.
The problem is when we grip onto them tight, and then we fuss, and moan and get anxious about our thoughts.
There is no solace here - only in watching them go by and using them to plan our day.
Once we've visualised what we want, it's time to let go and focus on doing things in the real world, out of our heads.
Thoughts are really the only things stopping us from fluidly enjoying our lives versus stumbling through.
Do you choose to be crippled by thoughts?
Or do you choose to play lightly with thoughts in life's grand, beautiful game?
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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Why I started taking my newsletter seriously
Some of you have been around long enough to remember this.
Over 15 years ago, I launched an ebook on online promotion for creatives. I already had a small newsletter at the time, but I hadn't done much to grow it.
I thought it would be enough to get the word out.
The ebook sold okay, but it became clear that my small audience wasn't enough to make the kind of impact I wanted. It was an afterthought, not a must.
So, I got to hustling.
I created written content online to attract more readers and eventually offered a free PDF booklet to incentivise new subscribers. That one move doubled my subscriber rate pretty much overnight.
It was a lightbulb moment.
Social media is great for grabbing attention, but your audience isn't yours. Algorithms and platform changes can make or break your reach.
Your email list is where you build deeper trust. That's where people really get to know you and, eventually, buy from you.
Today, my newsletter business allows me to live anywhere (I'm in Poland right now), be free, and make a living talking about the things that fascinate me.
It's the foundation for everything I do.
If you've been thinking about starting a newsletter, let me say this: It's never too late, and your list doesn't need to be massive to make a dent on the right people.
You might start small, like I did, writing to just a few subscribers (my mum and her friends).
And that might not be ideal for a bit, but you can always reuse old articles you write.
As your email list grows, so does the opportunity to increase your freedom.
(Cue Braveheart)
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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Why attention-seeking is your moral obligation
Many think seeking attention is tasteless.
They associate it with influencers doing stupid dances or entrepreneurs humble-bragging about their cars.
But getting attention for your ideas isn't about you.
It's about your message reaching the people who need it most.
Had I known this earlier, I wouldn't have spent so much time playing Xbox instead of publishing, as if my life depended on it.
If you had the cure for a disease, would you keep it hidden because you didn't want to seem like you were showing off?
If you knew how to prevent suffering, would you stay quiet to avoid looking immodest?
That would be insane. Yet that's precisely what you do when you hold back your insights, experiences, and unique way of seeing things.
'Creative block' is manifested fear because we don't want to appear uncouth.
It's an excuse.
Just as 'imposter syndrome' is an excuse.
Too many of us completely underestimate our value in the world. Even one story told well can change someone's life. No one has had your experiences, struggles and skills in the unique combo that only you possess.
That needs to be put to use.
Your perspective, wrapped in your particular stories and lessons, is medicine for someone else's pain (or even world change).
You have solutions to problems people are dealing with right now. But they can't find the medicine if you keep it locked in your drafts folder, buried under layers of false modesty.
Those voices in your head saying, "What will people think?" and "Who am I to put myself out there?" are not humble thoughts. It's your protective ego talking.
You assume your comfort matters more than someone else's growth, that your fear of judgment is more important than the people who need what you have to share.
You don't need to be in the spotlight.
You can operate from the shadows if you want. But your message needs maximum visibility. Your ideas need to reach the right people.
If not, it's selfish.
The truly egotistical move isn't seeking attention - it's keeping your gifts hidden because you're more concerned with protecting yourself than helping others.
Some people will call you attention-seeking.
Good. Let them.
While they're judging, trying to bring you to their shitty level, you'll be solving real problems and creating awareness around the issues that matter.
Attention matters.
🔆
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Ten lesser-known habits that will make you happier than 98% of people
I get it, 'happiness' isn't really a thing.
It's fleeting.
At the same time, most of us instinctively know what we mean by happy, so I'm going to stick with it for this article.
The following habits will clarify what I mean anyway...
Stop looking for happiness.
Chasing 'happiness' only reinforces the fact that you haven't reached it.
Way to go, dumbass.
This is one of life's greatest paradoxes and it could be why you continue to live in the dark.
Be relentlessly keen on helping others succeed.
It's easy to think that this kind of enthusiasm isn't in us naturally. We're too busy trying to succeed ourselves.
But - as I've found over the years - and just as with any other discipline - we grow into it.
The more you do it, the more this naturally comes to you.
Supporting and lifting others will take the emphasis off you, diminishing your self-consciousness while also bringing in insane levels of good karma.
Be unreasonably focused on helping others succeed.
Refuse to live your life as a whiny ass victim.
95% of victimhood is self-creation.
Most of us secretly love feeling like a poor widdle victim because it takes away our agency.
But this is like taking a wet fish and repeatedly slapping ourselves in the face with it.
You make life worse by assigning blame and positioning yourself as someone who needs love and attention for doing diddly squat.
There are two modes:
CREATOR and VICTIM.
Choose the first one.
Know the difference between being reckless and inviting high upside risks.
Both appear risky, but only one secretly fills up your tank with magnificent gold coins.
What is a high upside risk?
It's something that often feels scary but the downsides are low and the upsides are high.
Maybe it's starting a creative project, hosting a solo podcast, inviting someone for coffee, writing a vulnerable article, making good art, going on a long hike, or asking for help.
These are good risks.
Fill your life with these every day, and your happiness will rise.
Get really freaking kickass good at something specific.
You can be a jack of all trades if you want, but don't let this be at the expense of getting outstanding at one thing.
Our happiness is closely tied - not to how much validation we get from others - but to how useful we are in society.
Brainstorm daily like a badger on acid.
There's a cheeky secret you'll wish you knew about badgers.
They're brainstorming hard in their little underground lairs when we can't see them. Scheming little demons.
Brainstorming is one of the easiest and most enjoyable creative acts.
We feed creative fuel into the creative fire, and we come out with a steaming hot loaf of creative gold.
Brainstorm more. You'll be happier.
Regularly reconnect with nature.
Yeah, I know. Sounds cripplingly cliche, but it's so cliche that we've come full circle, and it's good advice once more.
Plus, we can easily forget this in our busy, modern lives.
This means making dedicated weekly or, ideally, daily time to getting out into a field, forest, fjord, fen or some foothills for nature fun time.
You're a human, not a cyborg. You need to experience nature deeply as we always have.
Stop thinking that just because it's 2028, you get to hunch your pallid corpse over a screen 18 hours of the day.
No wonder you're not happy.
Be ruthlessly intolerant to any thoughts that make you feel less than.
The problem for most of us is we think our thoughts actually hold meaning.
I hate to break it to you, but you're an asshat if you think your thoughts hold weight. Your personal thoughts about who you think you are, that is.
Those ones being directed by an ego reliant on self-preservation.
The best thoughts come through the gap left in our minds when we relax.
Those are never not positive. They always feel good.
Our default state is to feel good because we aren't punishing ourselves in the dim theatres of our frightened minds.
Do more of what you really really want to do.
You're not a moron, so I'm going to ignore your wise-crack comments about doing reckless nonsense that pollutes your soul.
I'm talking about those wholesome things you keep thinking about doing but you come up with excuses to not do.
In my case, it's building my own cabin. I've been holding that off for years, and it's time I did something about it.
To start, I'm going to learn about woodwork.
I'm not even kidding.
And neither should you be.
Continually ask, 'How can I use this?'
Undoubtedly, there's a ton of stuff swirling around in your head right now that you don't like.
You suffered a setback.
Sally isn't responding to your texts.
Jacob made a mean face at you by the water cooler.
You have this thing coming up next week you're dreading.
A major happiness life hack is to take whatever it is that's stressing you and turn it into fuel.
You do this by asking the above question.
Everything - in a weird kind of way - can be turned into a blessing.
Try it now.
This will change your life.
🔆
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Being ok with being disliked is the number one life skill
We all want to be liked.
It means safety, gifts, validation, a sense of confidence.
I can relate.
My actions over the last 37 years have absolutely been influenced by a deep need to be liked.
It's why social media works so well.
We get a very real hit of dopamine when someone likes our post or smiles at us in the street.
We're not far off from those rats given cocaine pellets in an experiment.
They could not stop the need for continual dopamine hits and became easy addicts, giving up on their health entirely just so they could get that hit.
Validation is addictive.
And it makes total sense.
But in our need for being liked, we also introduce a dangerous mechanism into our lives.
Why?
Because if we rely on other people to feel good...
Other people have the power to make us feel bad too.
We are at the mercy of the external.
This is death to self-expression, creativity and ongoing happiness.
It's not down to us.
How fragile this makes us.
But it's all about perspective.
The minute we realise that other people's opinions have absolutely no bearing on our self-worth, we're free.
We're free to act without the fear of a painful repercussion:
That illusory sense that we have esteem or 'worth' to lose.
There is no connection.
Our self-esteem is endless and abundant when we allow it to flow through us like a river after a torrential downpour.
If we can be ok with the idea of being disliked nothing can stop us.
This is a practice.
A habit.
An unwiring.
But you've already made 90% of the progress you need through understanding that your confidence is based on you...
Not anyone else.
Be ok with being disliked.
🔆
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Join my Mastery Den newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
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How to use your 'willpower muscle' to gain an advantage
It was getting absurd.
For the last three days in a row, I'd been turning off the lamp on my bedside annoyed that I didn't get done what I said I would.
To write that many words.
I was annoyed with myself for wasting time. Again.
Annoyed with myself for not even remembering half the day and what I did with it.
I'd had better days than this, but for some reason I was repeatedly slipping, and beyond just being a bit lazy, I couldn't think why.
Today was different. I tried something new, and things worked. At least as far as getting a good amount of work done.
I'd figured out a couple of useful things.
The first was recognizing that there are two kinds of activities:
1. 'Urgent'
2. Important
The second thing I learned was understanding the science of willpower - I'll get to that in a second.
Urgent or emotionally-driven activities, on the whole, give you results in the short run.
Whether it's responding to urgent emails, texting, gaming, making phone calls, even doing some client work, all the way to eating sweets and smoking, these are all emotionally-charged actions.
Important tasks, for the most part, are those that help you in the long run.
Going to the gym, and adding assets to your life like new blog posts, creating residual income, building your brand, working on paintings, writing books, and investing in yourself through learning are all important activities.
Obviously, we want to be prioritising those things that are important in our lives.
And yet so many of us don't, because it is easier to do what's urgent, shiny and yummy.
I put 'urgent' in quotes, because often these tasks are not as urgent as they appear. If they are, then they morph into important tasks.
You need to figure out where the division lies for you.
So, back to the willpower thing.
Recent research by psychologist Kelly McGonigal has changed the way we think about willpower.
Willpower is not something possessed by the special few.
Much like muscle strength, it actually physically diminishes over time. According to McGonigal's research, the more self-control we use and the more stress we encounter over the course of the day, the more willpower is depleted. It is then replenished after we get some sleep.
In other words, every one of us has more 'physical' willpower in our tanks at the start of the day than at the end.
Tasks that are good for us in the long term take more self control, for the most part.
Seemingly urgent, emotional tasks take less self control and therefore less willpower.
When a task absolutely must get done or is addictive, it takes barely any willpower to do that thing.
So, knowing that it's harder to do important tasks that are better for the long term, than those that provide short term gain, and that willpower is highest at the start of the day, I put two and two together.
I'd have to get more strict about what I'd spend my time on - and when.
Important stuff needs to get done earlier in the day, and 'urgent' stuff later.
Simple as that.
Writing a lot, planning outlines for books, making illustrations, going to the gym - this all had to get done sooner, before my willpower began to fade. Responding to emails, texting friends, having some cake - this gets pushed to later in the day.
Of course things are never this simple, and sometimes urgent stuff is unavoidable.
You might need the evenings to work on something creative if it helps you get in the flow and you have some peace and quiet.
Taking breaks and allowing ourselves a bit of short term pleasure while we work on the important stuff is also ok. Just as long as the bulk of it is left till later.
Much better to reward yourself later for important tasks done sooner.
By doing this, more of what really matters gets done properly.
This is a work in progress for me. It requires tweaking and getting better at it, but it serves as a useful guide to what gets prioritised.
Rather than wrestling with our nature, we need to work with it.
Use your willpower muscle to help you win your long-term game.
🔆
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The Artist's Path - what to expect, from Innocent to Sage
Can we visualise the artist's path - from total beginner to expert?
Here's what to expect:
The Innocent
Raw potential. No habits to unlearn.
Everything looks like magic.
You don't know what you don't know - and that's your superpower.
Most quit here because they attach results to self-worth.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The Apprentice
First principles. Basic patterns emerging.
You're building the foundation, even if you can't see the house yet.
This is the hardest phase because your taste and vision exceeds your ability.
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
The Practitioner
Starting to flow. Basics are becoming automatic.
You can create solid work, but it still feels mechanical.
You know the rules well enough to see why they exist.
0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1
The Specialist
Deep competence. You have a clear voice.
You've found your lane, and you're running hard in it.
You can solve complex problems, but you're still solving them consciously.
1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1
The Innovator
Pattern recognition. Intuitive leaps.
You're not just following the rules - you're seeing where they bend.
Your unconscious mind has taken over most of the work.
1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1
The Artist
Pure instinct.
Everything is connection.
You're not thinking about the craft anymore - you're channeling it.
You create new patterns others will study.
1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1
The Sage
Transcendent simplicity.
You've gone so far past mastery that you're back to simplicity but at a higher level.
You don't just break rules - you show why the rules existed.
1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1
Key insights:
Even sages fail 20% of the time.
Progress is real but gradual.
The innocent's rare successes are helpful for motivation, but most motivation must be sourced from within, focusing on the process.
The apprentice's increased success rate (8%) represents 4x improvement.
The biggest jumps are practitioner to specialist (20% to 40%) and innovator to artist (60% to 70%).
No one reaches 100% - mastery is about raising your baseline, not achieving perfection. At this point, you'd no longer be human.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity so you get to Sage faster?
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Why being unreasonable is the most sensible strategy
A while back, I lost my drive.
Don't worry. I was okay. I wasn't having a full-blown mid-life crisis.
It was more of a dull, creeping kind of hum that seemed to whisper to me that work wasn't particularly interesting anymore.
Often, I like to read through articles I'd written from many years ago. To see what kinds of thoughts I was having when I had a few less wrinkles.
I found an article about being unreasonable.
As I read, I felt myself reviving, like a cup of warm water filling slowly.
It hit me with a ping to my left nipple.
I'd been too reasonable recently.
I then remembered when I was living in Ho Chi Minh City and my soul buzzed like the throng of mopeds passing my window each day.
I had made the 'unreasonable' decision to motorbike through Vietnam with little experience with a guy I'd met only briefly in the airport.
I was a little scared, but I also felt alive.
In fact, every time I'd made a decision to do what few do; to do things that most would say are a 'little over the top, Alex,' life becomes colourful again.
This applies to your life goals and work as much as to adventures.
Are you being too reasonable?
Are your goals and plans a bit 'meh'?
That might be why you feel like plasticine on a cold day.
Go a little crazy.
Lean into your inner maniac.
What do they say you should do?
Go there.
Go big and go all in.
Don't be reasonable. It's dull.
Be unreasonable and do whatever it takes to make it happen.
One way you can do this this year is through writing more.
Be prolific. Write a lot each day. Think of what you can achieve when you do.
🔆
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Why no one cared about my writing
(and what changed)
When I started writing online over a decade ago, I thought I had it figured out
I'd write about the topics I found interesting, hit publish, and wait for the magic to happen.
But... nothing happened.
The views trickled in at a rate of honey down the side of a hill.
The comments were non-existent.
And after a while, I started asking myself the question that kills many writers: Is this even worth it?
I wasn't a bad writer. But I was making one big mistake:
I was trying to write for everyone.
The more, the better, right?
Nope.
I wanted my ideas to reach as many people as possible, so I kept my topics broad.
I played it safe and avoided sharing stronger opinions.
I left out personal stories because I thought I'd look like a giant doofus.
And in doing so, I wrote words that resonated with no one.
The turning point came when I let go of an ego-driven need to be liked by the masses and started speaking directly to the people I knew needed my work.
This required a little foresight.
I got specific. I thought about:
Who my audience actually was.
What they were struggling with.
What kept them up at night.
What I could give them that no one else could.
And, very quickly, things changed.
People started commenting and sharing my work.
People reached out to me thanking me for how my words helped them feel seen.
If you're struggling to connect with your audience, the issue is not your lack of talent.
It's where you put your attention when you write.
This is a tiny shift, but it makes all the difference.
🔆
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Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
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This is how I live a more 'centred' life
Being 'centred.'
What does that mean to you?
Is this a state of being - reserved only for orange-robed monks living in mountain-top monasteries?
Is being centred only for 'spiritual' people?
Does it mean that you become soft-voiced, and limp-wristed, with a continual glazed look in your eyes?
Do you need to be passive and super-chill to be centred?
Always on a journey, never getting to anything?
Are only hippies centred?
Do you need to go full vegan to be a centred person?
I've spent a lot of my life in anxiety. Fidgety. Worried. In my thoughts.
And I will likely spend the rest of my life experiencing these things...
But these moments will diminish...
The more I remain 'centred.'
Being centred is a momentary thing; as is being fidgety and distracted.
It is fleeting. It doesn't define who we are - it defines our behaviour in a second.
Being 'centred' is a way of being that we can cultivate - leaning more and more into it so that it becomes an increasingly ubiquitous feature of our experience.
I am centered in some moments, and not in others. But I am becoming more centred overall.
The less centred we are, the more we are swayed by life's frenzy, and the more we struggle.
The more I move to be centred, the more exhilarating of an adventure life becomes.
This is who I am when I am centred
I am less attached to the 'significance' of my thoughts and feelings.
I see these as part of the human condition - I don't feel the need to stew, figure it all out, or panic when a feeling or a scary thought arises.
I allow them to reveal themselves like passing sign-posts, before floating by.
Just because I have a thought doesn't mean I should do anything with it. I can choose in an instant, and let go.
I am free.
I know that I am the observer of these thoughts; I am not my thoughts.
As such, I am connected to the spirit that runs through all things, behind labels. It's fun to know that I can connect with this energy, rather than the power of fear.
I am conscious, not self-conscious. I am ok to relinquish those things about me that I was hiding.
Triggers are opportunities to grow, not to defend myself.
I am connected, instead of separate.
My energy is less scattered because I am not a slave to my emotions and my ruminations; even my visions.
I go slow to notice things, and because I move slow, the world slows to meet me, and it all seems rather easy. Because I am more conscious and engaged, I can then speed up.
I sense the gaps in things. The silence behind the noise. The meaning behind the words. The surface-level intricacies and details too.
I am better able to ease into not knowing.
I live in awareness, and I know that awareness is all I need to be my most optimal at this moment.
I have accepted that the past could not have happened any other way.
I set goals and create plans that I use to inform an excited energy in me right now. These visions speak to my potential. But I don't tie my egoic sense of self-worth to their attainment.
What happens happens, and I keep moving.
I relax into the conversation because I no longer try to impress or predict. I am given what I need in the gaps created by the stillness of thought.
Any temptation to ruminate is soon discharged by redirecting attention to what is right in front of me.
I know that if I can become centred with the small things, I can become centred with the big things.
Everything is an opportunity to play the game of returning to consciousness.
To being alive.
🔆
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"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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Fourteen ways to accelerate success in your life that few talk about
It's easy to get stuck in a rut. We can judge our progress to be slow and make it slower by escaping to cheap dopamine hits.
Often, it needn't take much to get back on track and give what we are already creating a boost:
Run or join a weekly group mastermind.
We all have zoom. We're all connected at the click of a button.
And yet, we're lonely and stuck. Use the power of the Internet and peer support to create an advantage for all involved.
Use this meeting to hold each other accountable, share successes, and provide mutual support.
It doesn't need to cost more than your Wi-fi.
Go on weekly adventures.
It's easy to see adventures as frivolous - a waste of time at best, and dangerous at worst.
But adventures fuel the soul. We all need a change of scene with a dash of risk thrown in.
This will re-energise you and bring depth and experience to your work once you're back to your desk.
Replace worry with action.
Many of us cling to worry because a part of us believes there is value in this.
We think we have some control on our lives when we ruminate on problems.
But - as we all know - doing so just makes us feel worse, which puts us at a disadvantage.
One of the best skills you can learn is letting go of worry and immediately replacing this with either breathwork or action, whether cleaning the house, walking or creating.
Connect with a mentor.
Most people are too shy to consider approaching a potential mentor for help.
It may take some asking to get through, but when you've found someone who can help save you hours or years of time and mistakes made, you'll see why this was such a great move.
Lead a social event or community.
Good things come to those who lead, not least a sense of fulfilment.
Get a group of friends together, and you are instantly a connector that others look up to.
Better yet, invite people you want to learn from to be part of a free community, and you gain as a leader and from the social capital.
Spend the morning learning something new.
One of the best habits I picked up was to start the day reading non-fiction.
When I started running out of ideas for my writing, I realised that reading wasn't just a cool luxury - but a necessity.
I use Shortform to gather the key components of a book without needing to read the whole thing.
Do nothing for hours or even a full day.
Doing absolutely nothing is underrated.
Everywhere we turn in the modern age, we're pressured to take action, to hustle and to be busy.
There's power to occasionally go against the grain and let go of the need to do anything.
This can be difficult to do for many. Try it.
You might find your creative capacity kicking in and feeding you the best ideas.
Exercise your creative muscle.
Creativity isn't something only a handful of geniuses are born with.
You can exercise the muscle like you would your thighs in the gym. Do brainstorms, combine two disparate ideas, play word association games, doodle, and write more lists.
You're probably doing it wrong if it doesn't feel like play. Have fun with this.
Do at least 10 minutes of 'dream work.'
What are your secret dreams?
What would you love to have happen in your life more than anything else?
Maybe you let go of that dream because life got in the way.
But why let it go when you can do something - anything - towards making it real today?
My dream is to write a fiction novel. So I spend 10 minutes at least each day writing fiction, even if I'm 'busy.' Now I'm working on my dreams, no matter what.
Track your screen time.
Let's face it. You're probably on the screen too long, and you know it's cutting into valuable family or productivity time.
So track the time you spend.
There are all kinds of apps for this. When you track something, you bring awareness to it.
With awareness, it gets much easier to reduce, so you create more time.
Write a daily online post.
As time goes on, more of us are coming face to face with the reality that building a personal brand and audience is becoming vital.
You don't need to overthink it if you commit to a daily writing and publishing practice in some form.
Share something, even if it's just 100 words on Linkedin every day.
Your discipline will sharpen and you'll have a growing audience to show for it.
Assume leadership.
Most people are tired and afraid, waiting for someone to show up and lead them.
The better way to find more joy and confidence is to assume the position of a leader yourself. This needn't mean leading an army.
You can lead when you reach out to connect with people and share value.
Make the first move. Leadership is one of the most effective mental health pills there is.
Record off-the-cuff videos.
Over the last four years, I've recorded and shared over 400 videos of me talking on my phone.
It was never about growing a large following but rather a means to order my thoughts, create recorded diary-like memories, and improve my speaking confidence.
When you get your face on video, all kinds of opportunities will open up.
Message three or more people per day.
We're all glued to our texts, so I'm really talking about reaching out to three people you wouldn't otherwise have messaged.
Message someone without expecting anything in return.
This activity compounds. Do it without thinking about it too much or you'll stall.
This habit will bring rewards when you least expect them.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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Seven subtle behaviours that ruin your relationships
Decades of clumsily spoiling my relationships, combined with an unhealthy obsession into human behaviour and attraction-dynamics has compelled me to write this for you love-birds.
Let's get down and dirty:
Your obsession with 'compatibility.'
One of the oft-cited reasons for many public divorces is 'irreconcilable differences.'
Though I don't think it means this specifically, it's easy to think that the reason relationships often fail is because you two were too different.
Wrong. A successful relationship has nothing to do with compatibility - or your freaking star signs.
If anything, if you guys are on two ends of the same spectrum, this makes for a more interesting and 'stickier' relationship. It's not Jake's interest in ancient Egyptian death ceremonies that puts you off.
It's your inability to let go of the prickly idea that you guys are 'incompatible' in the first place. It's in the mind. That's the problem.
Looking to them for validation.
If you decide to be in a relationship to be validated by another human, you're on dangerous terrain.
Why? Because your 'happiness' is now conditional.
Nate may one day look at you funny, not because he's an asshole, but because the next mortgage payment is on his mind.
But you took it personally because you rely on his continual smiley attention, and now you're giving him the silent treatment.
Way to go, buttface.
Relationships should be a means to share the love already rippling inside you, NOT as a way to apply ointment to the pain of your low perceived sense of 'worth.'
Caving to your need for novelty.
Yes, the modern world has instilled in us the idea that we have an inconceivably wide range of options in all areas.
A host of junk can be pulled up online, picked, and delivered within a day. Even your next Chad.
Your finger's become a claw because you can't stop scrolling for all the eye-watering novelty.
Sure, there are times when a relationship runs its course, but often they end too soon because you couldn't just sit with the uncomfortable itch for wanting more.
Treat a relationship as an opportunity to develop mastery over your mind and your emotions.
Find a way to serve and connect more deeply with who you're with, over caving - like a drooling child at a toy shop - to your dopamine-lusting brain.
Basing a relationship on 'love.'
If you're getting into relationships solely because you love one another, you're - quite frankly - a moron.
'Love' is your subjective opinion of the emotions YOU feel, moment by moment.
These feelings will shift, fade, and return again. The strongest relationshipps are based on more than love and lust. They acknowledge their transactional nature.
He needs this. She needs that.
Quit lying to yourselves, and be open about what those needs are.
Make sure you exchange what you know you both want, and stop using your faded sense of 'love' to justify the failure of your alliance.
Being in each other's faces all day.
You know the saying: 'familiarity breeds contempt.' Strong relationships can be counterintuitive.
There are two sides to maintain.
Connect and make each other feel better.
2) Actively create distance.
If you're working in the same house day-long, I wish you lots of luck, but I'd advise you find a way to get out of each other's way.
Not because you're a dick. But because the relationship will be stronger because of it.
Competing with your partner.
Let go of the lie that you're both equal in needs and duties. No. You're polar opposites.
North doesn't attract north. That's why unequal relationships work. Men don't need to come home to another boss who nags his ear off.
Neither do women get turned on by men who cower to her wishes so that the household comprises two housewives.
If she's the dominant and he's the submissive, ok maybe. But if you guys are competing and keeping score, it will gradually break down.
Embrace your differences and the uniqueness in your needs, and tend to those - yin and yang.
Being too nice.
There's no quicker way to destroy a healthy romantic relationship than putting each other into an awkward friend zone.
This can happen even if you were both initially passionate. Niceness can creep in when you're actively trying to avoid displeasing the other. Stop. Locate your nuts and return to your darker side.
You're not buddies - certainly not if you're in the earlier stages.
You're in a continual and fascinating dance of animalistic seduction.
Get back to teasing.
Stop taking yourself and it all so seriously.
Find a way to have fun with it.
Your relationship will flourish,
And so will the love.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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Follow your fascinations, and turn them into obsessions to get further
Life is too short to spend time away from the things that do not fascinate us.
Yet so many go through their entire lives ignoring their deeper fascinations because they prefer to play it safe and avoid looking a fool.
Don't let this be you.
Understanding our fascinations makes up a huge component of understanding ourselves. The better we know our drives (beyond the obvious natural ones), the more we can optimise our energy.
Creative geniuses are aware of their fascinations and turn them into obsessions over time. Think of some of your favourites, like Nikola Tesla, Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo DaVinci and Steve Jobs. And perhaps some other everyday heroes closer to home.
They never shied away from the stigma attached to obsession. They rode it like a wave.
When we're fascinated by something, our emotions don't lie. We don't need to force anything. It just draws us in.
I wouldn't need to tell you this if people didn't so regularly pursue paths defined by other people, not themselves - not led by their personal, genuine interests.
Find those things that evoke a ping of emotion in you. They are those things that make you feel good merely thinking about them. And no, we're not talking about sparkle-eye Shirley at the cafe who smiled at you.
Yes, sometimes fascinations are developed only after we've spent some time working on something.
Sometimes, fascinations are stumbled upon by accident. A friend of mine, for example, developed a fascination in car mechanics after his dad's vintage car broke down and needed restoring. But that's good too.
We need to take note of these curiosities and run with them where it makes sense. This is part of the searching process.
Being an excited creative really boils down to finding and tapping into those energy sources. They're like chemical reactions that take place when our curiosity meets application.
When the energy of fascination finds you, you must think very seriously about how you might bring more of this into your life.
Sometimes, a fascination is fleeting and disappears soon after it appears. Take note of those too. They aren't real fascinations.
Find the things to which you continually return. That's the difference.
Often, it appears as a vision in mind or a prickly feeling prompting you to search for something online or in a book.
If you've been entertaining the idea of buying land and building a cabin on and off for over a decade (like I have), you'll know this is a true fascination you might like to pursue. You know with a good amount of certainty that this kind of work will likely sustain you.
Fascinations present you with a gift few of us ever use. We're over-stimulated and stressed because we can't find a natural energy source beyond a cup of coffee.
Take a look at your bookshelf. The books you buy, the articles you read and the YouTube videos you watch reveal your fascinations. Where are the patterns?
This all points directly to those things you could potentially develop a high level of craft over the years. This is your potential' Zone of Mastery'.
Be careful here. You can easily get pulled in many directions by things that pique your interest, mainly because of their fresh novelty. This is why we must temper this with a singularity of focus.
This means honouring those 'fascinations' that repeatedly rise to the top and having the strength to stay with one or a couple of main obsessions maximum.
You will need self-control and awareness to avoid falling into the trap of pursuing a never-ending stream of shiny -objects. This might bring you many life experiences, but you will fail to see the fruits of robust accumulations of effort centred around any one thing.
None of these short-lived projects get the time and attention they need from you, in which case you're denying what could have been in the case of sticking with any one fascination.
Your fascination may be a hybrid of several crafts, too, like teaching and painting and understanding nature (for tree-painting art teachers).
It's down to your creativity to find what that is for you.
But that's how to really separate yourself, find your purpose and ride the energy that comes with immersing yourself in this kind of work.
Find your fascination(s), honour them, and double down on them.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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Why thinking we have a 'self' to protect is the cause of all our suffering
All our suffering stems from the belief we have a 'self' to protect.
Bold, right?
I stand firmly by this, but I'm not the first to make such an assertion.
One of the central tenets of Buddhism is the need to abandon the mentally-constructed illusion of who we think we are to live a peaceful, empowered and effective existence.
Let's take a closer look at what I mean here.
As humans, we have the power to create an experienced reality using our thoughts.
If we hold something to be true in our minds, we literally create a version of 'truth' as perceived by us.
Why does it happen this way?
In a word: survival.
Everything about who we are has been honed over millennia in a continual process of helping us survive in our environment.
Our thoughts were developed to help us get what we want in a dangerous world.
When we imagine what we want, every strand of our being is put to work to make it happen.
Our brain becomes attuned to our environments because it wants to match our behaviours to our survival needs and wants.
So when we think about wanting to avoid being eaten by a bear, we become hooked into on those elements in our environment that hint at this threat.
We notice the footprints. We hear the rustle in the bushes. We see the brown smudge on the horizon.
Thanks brain.
And thanks thoughts.
But this powerful mechanism of using thoughts to get what we want to survive has hurt us throughout humanity.
A strong tendency is for us to create images of who we think we are using these same powerful thoughts. Because many of us aren't aware of the truth of who we really are, we fill in the gaps.
We create identities of self.
And those identities are constructed out of flimsy notions prompted by past experiences and judgements made by others.
Our sense of self is a tapestry of fading memories and patterns of thoughts.
I'm this.
I'm that kind of person.
I'm not like that.
I'm no good at that.
I'm great at this.
I'm just Jenny from the block.
All thoughts.
All estimations.
But this is just who we think we are. This is our 'self.'
Our sense of self cannot possibly be real because it's made up. It's self-created.
Ask yourself the question right now:
Who am I, really?
Are you really your nationality? Your religion? Your schooling? Your talents?
You are none of these things, though these things can certainly be associated with you in your flesh and blood form.
But that's two different things.
Deep down, we know this, but we allow our thoughts to bully their way through to centre stage.
So, going back to my initial assertion:
All our suffering stems from the belief we have a 'self' to protect.
We've created something seemingly tangible when we construct this illusion of self. We've made it our reality, just like we make trying to avoid a bear our reality.
We can also call this our 'ego.'
This something tangible becomes so real to us, so US, that we are compelled to protect it.
We must protect it because that's how thinking works, and that's how survival works.
We survive by doing everything in our grasp to align our realities and environments with our thoughts.
We must prove ourselves.
But this brings suffering. Because if we perceive something or someone as a threat to our sense of self, we get defensive.
We take things personally.
We make it about us.
But 'us' - don't forget - isn't a thing beyond skin, flesh and bones.
I'm not talking about physically protecting ourselves and our families with a gun at the door of our barn. That's different.
We're talking about psychological and spiritual protection.
This hurts because, in our minds, it seems absolutely possible to lose a part of something we made up in the first place.
'If they're rude to me, I could lose my confidence.' We say.
But you can't lose something you made up.
This is why there is total freedom in understanding the true nature of the self.
The real self is energy, and it transcends our bodies.
Our self-images are just thoughts layered on top of this underlying creative power and energy.
When we learn to let go of this thin layer of thoughts about who we think we are...
We are no longer servants in fear.
We don't need to seize up in the face of potential criticism anymore.
When you're nervous about meeting a date, for example, you're entertaining a thought pattern about who you think you are that needs emphasising and protecting.
Protection is causing your strain.
It takes work to protect something that isn't real.
Doesn't it?
Work is pressure, which is why we get uptight, nervous, and weird.
So, what's next?
Play with the idea of 'no self.'
Act regardless of your thoughts for now, and you will find things get easier.
This won't happen overnight. It's a process of seeing through new eyes.
Imagine a life without the burden of who you think you are.
Imagine how creative, expressive, and relaxed you'd be without continually needing to prove something to yourself or anyone.
Why would you?
You are dancing energy particles and nothing more.
You would then be allowed to ease off and make mistakes.
Mistakes don't matter to a body brimming with energy, no attached labels and nothing to lose.
This is to glimpse a life without suffering.
🔆
Do you want to be mentally stronger than most people?
If you enjoyed this, you will love my free illustrated booklet for you:
'The 12 Habits of Mentally Strong People.'
Yours free today for a short time, when you subscribe to my Substack newsletter.
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Four mindset fundamentals I use to feel energised and free
No matter who you are, or what your situation is, let's commit to this year being better than ever.
Let's not settle for unhappy and mediocre.
How?
Keep it simple. Forget habits, resolutions, and goals for now.
What we need is a simple foundation on which to construct the kind of life that is best for us.
Such a grounding begins with how we see ourselves.
We need to see ourselves as determined, healthy, happy people.
If we view ourselves as mince-pie eating, depressed couch potatoes, this will not set us up well for a renewed start.
We need to decide to be the kinds of people who are immersed in - and feel - success for the majority of our days (in whatever way you define 'success').
This is possible when we hold in our heads a clear vision of our best, happy selves (note I didn't say happy 'elves').
To change the way we see ourselves, we need to adopt (re-adopt) a few principal positive modes of thinking.
These four mindsets, when adopted, energise me and lead to successes in other areas.
You can use them as mantras repeated through the day.
Repetition, visualisation, and absorption of these states of mind is the most powerful thing you can do for your self-esteem and personal growth.
These mindsets have been life-changing for me when I remember to make them a part of who I am:
Mindset 1: I am a physical athlete
Movement must fill my days.
I will struggle to be motivated to be active and creative in work and mind if I'm not active in body. Multiple times a day. Every. Day.
Rest is vital, and if you are active, you will know when to rest, because you will be genuinely tired.
Robust, regular exercise leads to clear thinking, feeling good, breathing more deeply, lowered anxiety, and the passion for which you are looking. If you lack movement in your life, you can't be surprised if you lack motivation.
View yourself as an athlete, even if you work in a library. Physical training is not just for sprinters and boxers.
Sweaty daily exercise and regular movement have improved my life more than anything else.
Mindset 2: My body is a well-oiled machine
I eat real, whole food until I am full. More protein and complex carbs. I avoid sugar and refined carbs, but a few treats are fine.
I know that caffeine makes me anxious, so I reduce it and cycle off it often. Smoking is out, and toxins need sweating out regularly.
I no longer pay no heed to what others say you should eat and drink.
I understand how vital it is to have explosive energy each day, and I fill my body with the nutrients needed - those that make me feel alive.
If I need to stop drinking alcohol to feel better, I will, because my energy is everything.
Mindset 3: I am dedicated to improving my value (not my personality)
"Try not to be a man of success. Rather, be a man of value." ~ Einstein
I'm always at my lowest when I take myself too seriously; when I'm doing everything to maintain a flawless personality; when I'm trying to look good in front of others.
All this communicates is subordination and weakness, and it makes me feel awful.
There is no such thing as 'personality.'
Being shy, extroverted, excited, and depressed are only fleeting states. They, therefore, cannot be personalities.
You are you. Multi-layered.
When I believe in personality, I try to protect it, and I cannot take risks. I am nervous. I care about what others might think of me.
The only thing you need to focus on is value and continually upgrading it.
Strive towards building your value in all areas: your skills; your health; your products; your creations; your investments; your ability to lift others up. Focus on being useful and leaving a legacy.
Legacy doesn't require that you are nice to everyone, though everyone deserves a basic level of respect.
It means that you brought value to those that benefit the most from what you do: your tribe; your family.
When we drop the delusion of personality, we start focusing on what's important - becoming great and bringing others up with us who care to join.
Martyrdom, indiscriminate compassion and the pursuit of impressing others will only spread you thin and hollow you out.
Constant work on improving the value you hold for yourself and those that matter to you is what the world needs.
The sensation of becoming useful regardless of how your 'personality' appears to others will energise you.
Mindset 4: I am an optimistic warrior
This mindset has helped me in many instances when I could have otherwise crumpled into a poor, seething victim.
Understand that things can and will be shitty, all around you and with a reliable frequency.
Life will test you and prod you to see how you respond. You will face difficulties with other people, sometimes such that it will seem like your guts have been ripped out.
Nevertheless, maintain a positive, resolute outlook on purpose. Your alternative is being eaten alive.
Prove the Universe wrong and commit to being strong. When it looks like you're about to drive off the cliff, swerve a hard right.
Be cheerful when you don't feel like it. Smile when you're down and be the first to do so when you're around others. Walk when you feel like moping.
Expect pain, struggle, and darkness. It is inevitable, so you might as well hold your head up and laugh like the unapologetic warrior you are.
Your refusal to accept the darkness is what smothers your spirit.
So find that spirit often. It's always there, underneath it all.
Refuse to be weak.
Be the optimistic warrior.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
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10 counterintuitive writing habits that actually make you more creative
(Tactics used by great writers that seem 'wrong' but work)
Most writing advice is predictable: write every day, just show up, outline everything, and edit like you hate yourself.
But take a look at history's most prolific and creative writers, and we see they often ignored conventional wisdom.
Many of them thrived by breaking the rules in ways that seem counterintuitive.
Here's what they can teach us:
1. Stop writing mid-sentence.
"Always stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next." - Ernest Hemingway
Most writers want to scratch that itch and finish their thought before stopping. But Hemingway did the opposite. By stopping mid-sentence, he ensured that he'd immediately have a direction to continue when he returned to the page.
This avoids writer's block and keeps your momentum flowing.
2. Write before you're fully awake.
"I write when I wake up. I'm not quite awake and that's the perfect time to write." - William Gibson
Writing when your mind is still groggy might seem like a bad idea, but it can be a creative sweet spot.
Your inner critic hasn't fully woken up either, allowing you to tap into raw, uninhibited thoughts. The same can apply to later in the day when you're tired.
Many great writers, including Haruki Murakami, wake up early to write while their minds are still in that dreamlike state.
3. Work on multiple projects at once.
"You never have to stare at a blank page if you have several projects going at once." - Ray Bradbury
Many writers insist on focusing on one project at a time, but Ray Bradbury did it differently.
Having multiple projects means you can switch when one stalls, keeping creativity flowing.
I always have several projects on the go that I switch between. As long as I ultimately finish them all (or most of them), my thoughts stay fresh, and I am motivated. I gave up trying to do one project at a time a long time ago.
This reduces overwhelm and gives your subconscious mind time to solve problems in the background.
4. Walk away when you're stuck.
"The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas - and then throw away the bad ones." - Linus Pauling
Staring at the screen when you're blocked and you just can't seem to make ground only wastes time.
Don't give up immediately. Give it time. But if you're banging your head against a wall, leave the page. Go for a walk, take a shower, do something unrelated.
Many writers, from Nietzsche to Steve Jobs, swore by walking as a way to unlock ideas.
The brain works better when you aren't pressuring yourself to do anything. Come back when your thoughts are more still.
5. Write what you hate to read.
"Write the book you want to read, but can't find." - Toni Morrison
Many writers feel they must love the type of writing they produce.
But frustration can be a powerful fuel.
If you hate the clichés in self-help books, write a better one. My frustration with dryly-written self-help books fueled my Art of Self-Respect book.
Notice what you can't stand reading, and set out to write a kick-ass version you'd pick up in the bookshop.
6. Set a word limit instead of a word goal.
"I never try to write more than I need to. I stop as soon as I've done my day's work." - Graham Greene
Try setting a strict limit instead of aiming for a high word count. For example, limit yourself to 200–300 words per day.
This keeps writing enjoyable and forces you to concentrate on quality over quantity.
Paradoxically, writing less per day often results in greater long-term output because you stay fresh.
7. Edit before you finish the first draft.
"I revise constantly as I go along. I don't wait for a first draft to be done." - Joan Didion
Most advice says, "Write fast, edit later", but some of the greatest writers revise as they go.
I am a big proponent of leaving the editing till later. But this is only advice for those for whom editing early is a hindrance. It may not be.
Didion, Nabokov, and even Hemingway would tweak and refine as they wrote, ensuring the work never became a sprawling mess. This may help you write faster because you're not stuck in endless refinement.
If stopping to edit keeps you engaged, do it.
8. Write by hand before typing.
"When I write with a pen, I am closer to my thoughts." - Neil Gaiman
Writing by hand slows you down. But that's the point.
Studies show that handwriting improves memory, creativity, and deep thinking.
Many writers (including Gaiman and J.K. Rowling) draft by hand before switching to the computer, helping them to better process their ideas.
9. Read outside your usual field.
"If you only read books in your field, you'll never get out of the echo chamber." - Austin Kleon
If you're a novelist, read philosophy. If you're a business writer, read poetry.
Creativity thrives on unexpected connections, and reading widely gives you new metaphors, structures, and ways of thinking that others miss.
I read adventure novels before bed. It helps me be more creative in my non-fiction writing.
Many great writers, like David Foster Wallace, were obsessive readers outside their field.
10. Talk to yourself while writing
"I often talk out loud when I write - it helps me hear the rhythm of my words." - Maya Angelou
Reading your work out loud can reveal awkward phrasing, clunky sentences, and missing transitions.
Some writers, like Angelou, even act out dialogues to make them sound natural. This technique forces you to engage with your text on a different, more interactive level.
How might this improve your non-fiction writing?
Not all of these suggestions may suit you. That's fine. The point here is that rules are there to be broken if alternative routes energise you.
Great writing doesn't come from following cookie-cutter advice. Creativity is often birthed in the illogical.
It comes from experimenting, finding what works for you, and sometimes doing the opposite of what's expected.
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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How this small mindset shift can help you earn more money (with drawings)
Making lots of money gets a bad rap these days. People think it's greedy. Rich people are often regarded with scorn.
Many say it's really hard to make lots of it...
With bills to pay and dreams to catch, a part of you wants more of it.
Lots of it.
I certainly do.
You look around, and see that we live in a society that gets you things when you have money to give.
We live in an economic world. This simply needs to be accepted...
Money enables your own survival. It can buy you stuff to enjoy.
But it can also buy you more time, unique experiences, and it can be used to change the world for the better...
Whether it is used for good or bad, money is undeniably useful.
If we use money to improve ourselves and the world around us, does it need to be viewed as a bad thing?
I want to make plenty of money, but I know that I wouldn't be happy if I wasn't going to use it for good things - for amazing things.
If money can be used for great good, why can't earning and spending even more of it be a good thing?
We're talking big money here. Is a ton of money a bad thing if it used to explore and learn, support our families, improve the environment and bring more beauty into the world?
If we are to make good money, we need to view it as a good thing.
I like to think of money as a note of thanks for providing value to someone who needs it...
Maybe we think money is bad because people who have given up on their own dreams and want to keep us down, don't want us to have money for ourselves?
If we drop the negative associations we have of money and see it as inherently good and honest when in the right hands (i.e. Yours), we are mentally free to make as much of it as we want.
My view is that money won't make you happy, but being broke won't either, so you might as well make more of it.
It's worth also noting, that money does not come to those who take it too seriously. Those who make lots of it, see it as a game. They view things abundantly, and they are not in awe of money.
Whenever I've taken making money seriously and worried too much about losing it, it becomes more elusive to me.
If I take money for what it is, a simple note of thanks in exchange for my own value, I cannot be in awe of it.
I see it as a way of helping myself through understanding and helping others.
And so, making money can become enjoyable, rather than something that is above you and scary.
If we view it this way, maybe money can make us happy after all?
To tie this all together:
To make money, we need to change our thinking from...
This thinking puts our attention on ourselves at the expense of benefitting others. It is win/lose.
And start thinking more like this...
This is correct money-making thinking. We now think in terms of money as a means to benefit others and ourselves: win/win.
Bonus
For aspiring millionaires and billionaires, ask:
What do I need to do to improve the lives of millions of people who would pay to thank me?
🔆
Want to triple your productivity?
Join my newsletter today, and you'll get instant access to my 'Get Sh*t Done Checklist,' giving you all the tips you need to smash procrastination and revive your energy.
"Alex is a phenomenal writer. His newsletter is one of the only ones I read regularly. It's my go-to any time I need some writing or mindset advice." - Ross Harkness
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