We’re overloaded with choices.

Good choices, mind, but lots of choices and options, and it’s super duper difficult to know what to do and where to start.

And this makes it much more challenging to make more intimate commitments to singular projects.

At least, this is what your little mind goblin is telling you.

You know very well you’re buying into a thought.

Another unhelpful thought.

You aren’t really encumbered by a ‘chaotic reality.’

The reality is within you. You made it. You made it hard.

And this is why there is a tremendous opportunity here. There is an opportunity when most other humans struggle with their own interpretations of chaos. They allow themselves to slip and to dance with phone notifications from dawn till dusk.

You don’t need to fall prey.

You are the damn, prey. Get it?

When you see the world in this light, mastery is possible again.

Read this quote by Robert Greene (It’s a doozy):

“Mastery is not a function of genius or talent. It is a function of time and intense focus applied to a particular field of knowledge.”

Not a function of talent.

Do you see what this means? It means that getting hot shit great at something specific is open for just about everyone.

I believe talent does play a role, but it’s not as crucial as time and attention.

Why is mastery important? It sets you apart in a sea of competing dancing monkeys. Standing out with value attracts money and attention. These are two things you need if you want freedom.

Do you see?

The reason you see people pull rabbits out of hats in seemingly magical ways is thanks to these two critical ingredients.

Time and attention.

This is time and attention spent actually doing the thing, by the way, not in any consideration of the thing.

They got great at something because they highly valued those two things - and by golly, they made use of them.

This is how you get nine-year-old child prodigies. Their parents made sure they squeezed in an ungodly amount of time and attention, where the child was butt on piano seat, dedicated to getting great at the piano - EARLY in life.

Yes, their talent played a small role. But it’s simply not nearly as big a contributor as actually plinking keys.

People who succeed in uncommon ways do the same thing. They put considerable time and attention into SPECIFIC things, even if those things are hybrids of several things to make a new thing.

...Like making and advertising video courses about microdosing mushrooms for productivity. Or whatever.

But they didn’t do what most do, which is to fire time and attention in three hundred and nine different directions throughout the day.

(Those people believed the lie that they were overwhelmed by choice. No they overwhelmed themselves, dum dums).

You must drop the lie that these thoughts are allowed to have a firm hold on you and your subsequent behaviours.

Tell them to screw off.

Figure out what it is that needs your undivided attention and a significant time commitment.

What ‘field of knowledge’ do you want to master?

What could you pour uncommon amounts of time and energy into that would set you apart, flying higher than any man?

What things do you need to say NO to in order to deepen the YES you have for the primary thing?

The thing that needs you.

How might your life change if you plunged significant amounts of those two weighty commodities (time and attention) into this thing?

Here’s the interesting part in all this.

When you believe you have endless choices, you will overwhelm yourself.

But when you make the often difficult decision to do more with less, you’ll find your life far less overwhelming. Life can be simple this way. Unless you keep buying into those unhelpful thoughts that being somewhere else might be better.

Just remember the quote:

“Mastery is not a function of genius or talent. It is a function of time and intense focus applied to a particular field of knowledge.”

If you want to be a great science writer, spend more time and attention actually writing about science. Not thinking about writing. Not studying. Writing.

Onward.

Thanks for reading.

What if you decided to master writing and make a career out of it over the next decade or two?

My new book shows you how I did it. It’s called ‘The Never-Retired Writer.’

It’s 62 short, actionable chapters on building a writing life that gives you income, freedom, and a body of work that compounds for the rest of your life.

Grab your copy here.

Enjoy!

Alex

—

We may have a great idea, service or product, but what is the value of that thing if we can’t persuade people to use it?

Hopefully, this article will persuade you about the power of persuasion.

Having written and produced content for over a decade, there’s much I’ve learned about being more persuasive. This kind of work requires me to get good at this, unless I’m okay with sharing thousands of posts without anyone ever giving two hoots.

Being persuasive is critical in building a brand, leading a movement, and making money from our ideas.

Here’s what helped me:

I started telling more stories.

I don’t often tell long, sprawling stories.

I find even a bit of context to the ideas I share from my own life makes a big difference.

I made a point of listening more actively.

When with other people, I used to let my mind wander or be preoccupied with what I’d say next. I’d barely listen.

Now, when I listen, the other person tends to respond far more favourably because they can see I listened.

It’s hard to trust someone who clearly isn’t listening.

I spoke about things that made me uncomfortable.

Playing it safe makes for flaccid communication.

People aren’t inclined to care as much. But to persuade requires you to ignite some emotion, whether positive or negative.

Be willing to make yourself or others uncomfortable if it means telling us what we need to hear.

I speak assertively.

I frequently write things that are a bit flimsy in their execution.

If I can sense that I’m not really buying what I’m saying, I need to change that or shift the language to be more assertive.

People want to follow those who at least look like they have total confidence in what they’re saying.

No ‘maybes’ or ‘I reckon thats.’

I used more examples.

It’s so easy to share a point without backing it up with some kind of example.

But people need to be able to visualise what you’re telling them to be persuaded.

If they can’t see it, they can’t understand it.

I gave a lot before expecting anything in return.

Robert Cialdini wrote a great book on persuasion, and he talked about the principle of reciprocity.

People are far more likely to respond favourably after they have received a lot of value from you beforehand.

Validated my ideas.

The best way to persuade is to give people what they want.

If you don’t know the genuine struggles, you can’t possibly provide an effective solution.

Of course, seeing that you can solve a problem - a scratch to an itch - this sits at the core of true persuasion. So, test your ideas first.

Talk to people. Run experiments.

Do more of what’s already been proven to work.

Overcome objections.

When people read your words, they are - consciously or not - looking for ways you are wrong.

This isn’t to spite you. This is part of our natural thinking process. Everything you share is a sell. And when you’re selling an idea, people will object where they disagree because everyone wants to know they are making the right decision by following you.

So, when you’re aware an objection might be raised, address it. Show that you are empathising with their point of view.

This is why I say things like, ‘Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: this could take a long time unless you... etc etc.’ I’m addressing objections.

And when you do, you will put people at ease, making you far more persuasive.

I was more specific.

People need you to paint a picture of what you’re talking about.

This makes for the most persuasive communication. Always.

This is why, if you’re speaking in conceptual jargon, don’t expect your listener to be around for long.

I cut out the fluff.

People are overwhelmed by an ever-deepening bathtub of information.

They don’t need more of it. They want you to cut to the essentials.

This is why the best communicators cut out the waffle and stick to the gooey centre.

Give them space to breathe.

I know I’m more likely to read something with plenty of white space.

It’s not all about what you share but what you aren’t. Structure your communications with space to reflect, or the ideas won’t sink in.

I repeat myself. A lot.

For those of you who’ve been following my writing for a while, you’ll know I have a handful of ideas I repeat in a thousand different ways.

People are still interested, and they are persuaded to return. If the idea is good, people are happy to hear it again.

The point also gets through the brain membrane when it’s repeated.

I found a way to believe my own words.

You can’t persuade others if you can’t first persuade yourself.

This is why I don’t commit an idea to paper unless I’ve let it swim in my mind for a bit to really settle. I need to get it.

Then, it becomes almost effortless to want to tell others about it too.

I showed up.

Some anonymous guy once said ‘Repetition is persuasion.’

The bro was talking sense.

You needn’t have the most ground-breaking idea in the world, but if you show up and publish regularly, and you don’t disappear, people will start to believe you.

They will trust you based in large part on your consistency.

Encourage people to act.

I often encourage content creators to provide a ‘call to action’ at the end of - or within - their posts.

This can be a note sharing a newsletter link or a request to join the conversation.

People are far more likely to act when you ask them to.

In keeping with this point, I encourage you to share a comment below, even if it’s gobbledygook.

Comments on my posts make me look good and stroke my ego. But seriously, share your thoughts, tell me what else you’d love me to write about, and join in.

How to monetise the attention you create from strong communication through writing?

My new book shows you how I did it. It’s called ‘The Never-Retired Writer.’

It’s 62 short, actionable chapters on building a writing life that gives you income, freedom, and a body of work that compounds for the rest of your life.

Grab your copy here.

Enjoy!

Alex

—

A friend of mine was telling me about how he used to have a solid content-writing habit but recently fell off.

The momentum was there, but now it was gone.

And his readers were getting nothing from him.

He’d gone ghost.

He was overwhelmed with needing to keep up, and he’d run out of ideas.

I got sentimental momentarily and stared out the window because I’d been there many times before.

Then I told him you must check out my super ‘burnout blaster content checklist.’

The checklist details everything I consider whenever I’m feeling out of whack, blocked or fed up with my writing.

Read more

It’s taken me a long time to realise the significance of this.

When they see their writing isn’t connecting, most people believe the solution lies in writing better.

But this isn’t quite right.

It has less to do with how you write, and more to do with the idea.

Yes, there are many variables at play in good writing, but a strong idea sits at the top of the hierarchy.

Particularly an idea that is unexpected.

As writers and content creators, we are really in the game of interrupting patterns.

“When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.” ― Tuli Kupferberg

When the world’s best screenwriters learn to write movies, they are told to write a premise. But not just any premise.

The premise must be a ‘high-premise.’

John Truby discussed this in his book, ‘The Anatomy of Story.’

Many things compose a strong premise in a story, including originality, a unique world, conflict, and an intriguing and relatable character.

When someone asks you, ‘What was the movie about?’

A good response to this question is the film’s premise.

It’s about a mysterious spaceship that arrives on Earth, and they need to work with a troubled language specialist from a University to figure out how to communicate with the aliens on the ship, which ends up saving humanity.

(Arrival, 2016)

That’s a high-concept premise.

In the same way that any one of your posts and articles need a high-concept premise.

‘High concept’ means it’s unusual, refreshing, thought-provoking or unexpected.

This ensures your writing is attractive, memorable, and intriguing.

This isn’t for a smattering of your pieces.

You want all your posts to grab attention with a high concept.

People are not looking for yet more information.

They want to be entertained, first and foremost.

They want to feel something.

This is why fiction storytelling is so enlightening.

Non-fiction isn’t any different in this regard.

Fiction serves the same function as any email or blog article.

If you write articles, you are in the business of grabbing attention and intriguing your readers, helping them get lost in a narrative flow, and delivering a payoff at the end.

How can you apply this to your own writing?

In simple terms, high-concept writing is about introducing one, overarching idea or lesson, and packaging it in a three-part story structure.

• Hook (grab attention).

• Build (increase tension).

• Payoff (deliver the climax).

All good posts follow this structure—even a listicle. A good listicle has a strong hook, like a header or introduction that introduces a problem. The list of ideas provides the build. The final thought to wrap it all up is the payoff.

Here are a few things to be aware of as you write high-concept posts, and they are all best expressed as questions:

• What is a standard solution, and how can I go against the grain, while still being right?

• What’s the contrarian or counterintuitive approach?

• What are some emotional moments in my life, or someone else’s life I can write about?

• What is a transformation I went through, especially one in which the stakes were high and the conflict significant?

• What is a unique, even extreme perspective I can share about something?

• How can I be provocative, while being correct?

• What can I write about that serves the reader, thanks mainly to my refreshing honesty and transparency?

But how to make this relevant to your business?

In the context of your personal brand, you need first to be conscious of the overall transformation you bring people through.

A to B.

I help solopreneurs go from being stuck and having little influence, to growing a substantial online brand and newsletter and monetising their knowledge.

That’s my brand’s transformation.

Within this transformation are many problems I can help people solve, through my content and my stories.

So, I identify a problem I can solve.

Then, I find a high-concept idea that sits at the heart of any one piece of content I share. It could be a tweet or a three-thousand-word essay.

High concept.

The high-concept idea for this article you are reading is the fact that you need an unexpected idea to sit at the heart of everything you write.

Here’s a high-concept tweet, for example, I shared yesterday that did well:

One of the best ways to destroy social anxiety is to embrace awkwardness. (hook)

Most people are terrified of looking awkward and weird silences.

Not you. You embrace that awkward life (like a G). (build)

Be awkward.

Then you have nothing to be afraid of. (payoff)

Ironically, you will be chill.

I took a common problem —  social anxiety — and took an unexpected and high-concept idea (embrace awkwardness) to the problem.

This is a mindset more than anything else.

First, know that high-concept will make the most significant difference in whether your writing takes off.

You don’t want to spend years writing tepid stuff that no one cares to read.

You want to grow your brand and create opportunities for you.

High-concept will get you there.

How to monetise the attention you create from writing like this?

My new book shows you how I did it. It’s called ‘The Never-Retired Writer.’

It’s 62 short, actionable chapters on building a writing life that gives you income, freedom, and a body of work that compounds for the rest of your life.

Grab your copy here.

Enjoy!

Alex

What do I mean by this?

Let’s take a look…

1. Write loose first.

Most of us quiver in our socks because we’re trying to write like freaking Hemingway off the bat.

Lol. Stop it.

Why are you trying to run up the steepest part of Everest, while I’m over here taking cat steps up this little hill?

Make it easy and write total nonsense for a while. Write like no one’s watching.

Loosen up.

You can always cut and edit.

Now you have a flow going, and this will lead to good, great and masterful.

2. Write as therapy.

Just as you might set aside time to meditate, run, make art or do yoga each day, you can treat writing as a form of catharsis.

If we view writing as a ‘dull chore,’ guess how that will influence your vibe?

How about using it as a form of release and daily self-awareness?

Approach it free of the pressure to write anything ‘good,’ and just write to pull words out of your head.

Do it to feel lighter, and you will float.

3. Be aggressive.

Sit still for a moment and allow your inner dragon to rise from its smokey slumber.

The little bastard is in there — you just need to nudge him awake. Write a little more so he flutters his wings and coughs flames. Turn off Coldplay and put on some filthy UK dubstep or Ice Cube.

Channel that beautiful assertive energy into your words.

Poke your reader in the eye through the page.

4. Write as exploration.

One of the quickest ways to kill your motivation is to know too much before you sit down to type.

Having an outline can be helpful — until it isn’t. I rarely know exactly what I’ll write before I finish.

I may have a header that I follow as a guide, but for the most part, I am clueless. And this is fun.

It’s like reading a book — your own book — as you write.

You’ll enjoy it a lot more when you don’t yet know how it ends.

5. Do a dirty dance.

It’s very difficult to write good words if you just slid your fat ass straight out of bed into the writing chair.

The real writing Gs know that the best words are imprisoned in your hips.

Set them loose by throwing on some music and do the funky chicken for three minutes, even if your hamster just died.

Get moving.

Now you’re free of tension and have a charge running through you to breath life into your writing.

6. Write faster.

Most of us struggle to write because we’re in our heads too much.

If your fingers are doing a jig on the keyboard faster than you can keep up, your mind eases. You will also see words accumulating quickly, and your identity as a ‘non-writer’ will dissipate.

Aim to write a stupid ton of daily words.

How about 4000 a day?

Who cares if it’s 97% crap. It’s like giving a builder a truckload of free bricks each day.

7. Write short.

Though accumulating a lot of words can be freeing, you needn’t worry about your scary ‘3,000 word essay.’

All you need is to be intentional about a 100 word mini-piece today if that’s what you need to start generating momentum.

You can string several word blocks together if that’s what it takes.

8. Write as someone different.

There is no such thing as ‘personality.’ We decide who we want to be. Be whichever larger-than-life version of you you want to be.

Who is it?

What do they look like?

Write from their mischievous soul. Infuse their colour and character into your words.

This will be fun for you and the reader.

9. Be funny.

You’re NOT ‘not funny.’

You just never had the guts to pull that stick out your bum to have some fun with us. People don’t want to read another washing machine manual.

They are here to be entertained, and most of all — to FEEL the energy you put into the writing through a strange kind of osmosis. You don’t always need to be humorous — but the point is to have fun.

When the moment appears, you might just reach into your ribcage and pull out your inner Robin Williams.

We’re here for it.

10. Stop hiding.

Few want to read another generic piece that could have been written by Larry, the super friendly AI bot who has no soul.

Stop writing yourself out of a job and reveal more about what makes you you. What weird stories have you had?

What are your quirks? What is something you think that few agree with you on?

Tell us, damn it.

We don’t care about your tedious vanilla opinion. You need to find some courage and reveal more.

People love this.

When you find a renewed energy,

You’ll wonder why you were ever stuck in the first place.

This is what we need from you.

Having a REASON to write daily is vital, but it isn’t always clear.

Gaining total clarity on this for you is exactly what I cover in more detail in my new book, The Never-Retired Writer.

It’s 62 short, actionable chapters on building a writing life that gives you income, freedom, and a body of work that compounds for the rest of your life.

Grab your copy here.

Enjoy!

Alex

—

You’ve all heard me repeatedly talk about the importance of building a ‘personal brand.’

The funny thing is that most people don’t actually care about building a ‘personal brand.’

What does it even mean, anyway?

We want to be known. We want to make an impact. We want to make more money each month.

...Especially doing cool things that bring us to life.

We also want more free time to do what we love doing.

That’s leverage.

Personal brand is how you get there.

That’s why I talk about it.

It’s an asset - one you take with you right till the end. It’s a reflection of you, after all.

I’ve been inadvertently building my ‘personal brand’ for the last 14 years.

Having my ideas plastered across the Internet (even though it’s a tic tac in the ocean) has brought me income, friendships, work opportunities and speaking gigs.

And that’s not even to mention the sense of purpose.

More recently, I’ve become more intentional about what I’m building.

And this is important. Because what you project, you attract.

I’ve made many mistakes and wasted tons of time.

Here are some tips:

Master the art of speaking clearly.

Think hard before you next deliver a message packed full of vague concepts.

The hairs on people’s necks don’t rise in the face of concepts.

Specific communicators build potent brands.

Make honesty your secret weapon.

Especially in this age, people are hungry for the truth. You want to be a beacon of truth, realness and refreshing transparency within the context of your brand.

This needn’t mean broadcasting every little thing about you for the sake of attention.

No - you’re honest for one explicit reason: to lift up your tribe.

Smile and nod when you hear a guru preach consistency, before being relentlessly consistent yourself.

I agree - that was a pretty ridiculous sentence.

Consistency is still king in personal branding, no matter what clever technology comes around. It’s what branding is - in essence.

Repeatedly showing up with your views, colours and stories paints a picture.

It also establishes you as a persuasive force.

Nothing that people want to believe in shows up only twice.

Don’t plan so much.

I’ve spent ludicrous chunks of my life sitting in cafes hunched over notepads, writing up plans for things that never materialised.

Pages and pages of the stuff. So what’s left to do?

Precisely that: doing things.

Save time by planning less and creating more. Feedback from the real world will show you what’s working.

You can’t figure it all out in advance of seeing what sticks. Be an action hero.

Learn to control your mind and your energy.

The root of a great personal brand is upbeat energy. Your audience will feed off this and - in turn - be lifted up with you. This is ultimately what we’re doing. It’s an energy transfer, not some posturing BS. So, as a leader, you must find a source of energy for yourself.

By controlling your mind, I mean having emotional control and not wasting energy through overthinking and petty habits.

Run an energy audit and see what tends to drain your energy the most.

Be ruthless in ridding yourself of these things if you want a happy life, which will drive a happy brand (which is what you want).

Be you and have a position.

Some people say your brand is you, so it doesn’t really matter that you have no niche and cover everything under the sun.

Others say you must must must have a super well-defined niche. I say find the middle ground. Strong brands have direction.

There is a clear transformation they bring their people through.

Know what this is for you. For me, it’s helping people grow their personal brand (meta, I know).

Most of all, when there is direction, you have direction, which will make for an energised approach.

Write every day, no matter your talent.

Before your toes curl in horror, think about this for a second. You don’t need to write a book every day. Just 5,000 words per day. I’m joking.

You could, but you need only write a few sentences for it to count.

The habit will mould your communication skills, as well as your discipline.

Secondly, you don’t need to publish your writing to benefit from writing.

Though it would probably be silly not to. You can formulate your thinking through writing.

I can speak and deliver my ideas far better after writing through my overthinking for years.

If you’ve done something for 30 days and hate it, pivot.

You must find a way to enjoy what you do, even if some of it is not considered conventionally enjoyable.

Not all of us are suited to the specific blueprint handed out by Chad McGrath on the Success Mastermind.

Do what fits with your style.

Learn the art of stories.

Last Saturday, this skinny guy approached me in the park and grabbed me by the shoulders. He looked me square in the eye and, without blinking, said:

‘Alex, you must learn how to tell a good story.’

This is a story in itself, as you can see. (So bad, it’s good, right?)

It is composed of a sequence found in all good stories: hook (grab attention), build (tension rising), and payoff (final conclusion to the story)).

You want to understand this format at the very least. It will apply to good tweet and non-fiction article writing as much as it applies to fiction novel-writing.

Great brands tell cohesive stories.

Learn how to defy expectations.

You may have studied any form of entertainment, whether telling jokes or writing powerful scripts for films.

Then, you’ll know that one of your main jobs as a creator is to continually lead your viewer or reader up one path, only to dash their expectations.

This creates ongoing intrigue and is cathartic, like telling a satisfying joke.

It’s sticky.

It creates fans.

Develop the habit of asking yourself, ‘What do they expect me to do next, and how can I do it differently?’

This is exactly what I cover in more detail in chapter 27 of my new book, The Never-Retired Writer, which launched recently.

It’s 62 short, actionable chapters on building a writing life that gives you income, freedom, and a body of work that compounds for the rest of your life.

Grab your copy here.

Enjoy!

Alex

I’m in a coffee shop in Sofia, sun beaming in, thinking about what to write today.

I wasn’t going to write and share an article today.

And yes, you’ve probably heard enough.

But I also prize modelling what I teach.

And one of my big things is consistency regardless of how you feel.

So I want to show you it’s possible to show up and write something, even if every fibre in your body says: ‘Not today.’

Even when you have plenty of perfectly GOOD reasons not to share another piece.

But I made a commitment, you see.

Every Saturday and every Tuesday.

So I’m here, writing about writing. Very meta.

But I’m also reminded right now how much I love this work.

Because as my fingers dance over the keyboard, I’m revived.

I can love what I do even if I start cold and stiff.

All it takes is motion. Then it flows.

That’s on offer for you too.

You needn’t even know the full picture of what you’re writing.

Not knowing is 75% of the fun anyway.

Stop trying to be perfect, and let momentum do most of the work for you.

Be ok with messy.

That’s what editing’s for.

This is the secret I want more of you to know.

If you’re building your tribe - your movement - this is the secret they need you to know.

Commit first. Show up. Write whatever comes up. Edit. Share.

What days of the week?

Done.

Then just start.

If you know your message - great. Speak to ONE person with that message.

If you don’t know what you’ll write - great.

Write until you find it.

You did know you can delete and chuck in the bin right?

Tell us a story.

Solve a problem someone else has already attempted to solve.

When you give the solution in the context of your life and story - it’s automatically unique anyway.

That’s what people want - unique.

That’s easy when it’s YOU writing it in your voice.

Bring your own spin.

Have fun once you warm up.

The fun will arrive when you find the door.

You may find you can’t stop once you start.

This is exactly what I cover in more detail in my new book, The Never-Retired Writer, which launched recently.

It’s 62 short, actionable chapters on building a writing life that gives you income, freedom, and a body of work that compounds for the rest of your life.

Grab your copy here.

Enjoy!

Alex

—

It sucks to put effort into writing things for the Internet, hit publish and hear a chorus of engaged crickets.

I know how hard it can be when you’re new to a platform or haven’t been active for a while, and it seems like a ghost town.

But you want to grow and add fresh and engaged subscribers to your newsletter to build your freedom business.

Here are some ideas:

Accept that this phase will be hard and require extra work and effort.

Lao Tzu said that resisting change only creates sorrow.

Acceptance is the first step towards building a thriving movement.

It will take work, just like it takes work to push a motorbike from the static position.

Figure out how to solve your ideal customers’ and readers’ real, pressing problems.

Many noobs miss this and wonder why they remain stagnant.

I’ve created so much content based on assumptions. ‘I guess people will like this,’ I think…

But assumptions are guesses.

And you’ll more likely hit a home run when you think logically, like a true pro.

And pros talk to their readers. They make lists of all the problems associated with their area of support.

Provide clear solutions to these problems, and I assure you people will take notice.

Write better hooks.

I cringe when I see people write well-researched, inspiring articles or posts and then tack on a hook or header like it was written by their pet ferret.

People are busy and soaked in information on the Internet. Everyone is competing to be seen, but if you do it well, people will take notice.

When someone scrolls through the thousands of potential things they can read online, they are looking for a single sentence that will grab them enough so that a single thought pings in their thick skull:

‘Oh man, I absolutely need to read this right now.’

You get it?

Your article’s title can’t be vague, or you literally lose a potential reader.

It must be specific, and it needs to speak to either one of - or all of - the following benefits for the reader:

• Make them more money

• Save them time

• Raise their status

• Make them feel happier.

Here are four of my best-performing hooks on Medium as examples:

‘My writing finally attracted interest after this one big revelation.’ (Make them money)

‘14 habits that make you more focused than 98% of people.’ (Save time)

‘Cut out these 11 habits if you want more respect.’ (Raise status)

‘Knowing this will make you give less of a f*ck about what others think.’ (Make them feel happier)

Be honest and focus on more challenging or counterintuitive topics

Here’s a secret about why some people do better sharing their ideas on the Internet.

They are not only honest, but they are willing to talk about things that most people do not. This is refreshing, and your perceived value will shoot up because most people avoid both.

What’s something you can say that needs to be said that only a few want to discuss?

Or, put another way, what’s a way of saying something refreshing or counterintuitive?

I recently interviewed branding pro, Sun Yi, whose post: ‘Don’t follow your passion,’ recently went viral.

Keep it real.

Find your courage.

Tell people what they need to hear.

This will turn heads quickly and help you grow more rapidly.

Use transformations.

Great content shows people how their lives can change.

It can feature a protagonist undergoing some transformation, and - in seeing this - your readers can see how this might work for them too.

For e.g.

‘Five years ago, I was continually worried about the future and only had my ginger cat Nibbles for company. Today, I just closed my third $5k client and can afford to take both Nibbles and my fiancé on a surf holiday in Bali.’

This gives people hope, and they will be more likely to want to follow you.

Ultimately everyone is looking for information online that will take them from A to B.

From unhappy, broke, bored, time-starved and stressed - to happy.

That’s it. That’s transformation.

So everything you share must be about transformation, whether you show them how someone else does it or you show them how to do it.

Do a commenting blitz.

If you’re unknown on a platform, whether it’s X or LinkedIn or Instagram, you need to become known in every creative way you know how.

You can be patient and allow your account to grow organically and slowly to start, or you can get super-active.

One way that works is showing your face and your ideas underneath other people’s content.

You do this by finding and following bigger accounts in your niche.

Then throw on some House music and go to town for 20 minutes or more each day in their comments.

Share jokes, quotes, valuable ideas, personal anecdotes and stories.

People see this.

It’s work, but you will be seen by the people who follow them (who, incidentally, will be your ideal followers), who will check out your profile.

You can pick up 5-50+ new followers per day doing this.

Form strategic partnerships.

As you make friends on social media, you will ultimately find people who are willing to share your post in exchange for you commenting and sharing on theirs.

That way, you both benefit from added exposure, which could give your content a much-needed early nudge to get it noticed by the algorithms.

Most people who grow fast do this.

Others join larger groups of several people who exchange engagement to help each other out. You might find one to join or set up your own.

Stop spreading yourself thin.

It’s easy to try to take on too much if we’re small and less known.

We overcompensate and set up on multiple platforms and try to be seen everywhere. Then we get burned out and say that the world sucks.

But you really want to throw spears rather than cast nets.

Choose a platform where your people hang out and make a commitment.

How about at least 30 days of daily posts, even if they’re small?

That’s a good point, too - stop writing essays if you can’t keep up daily.

Go small until you can share something every day.

You can bulk-write some of them too.

Thirty days or more on one platform.

Mix it up too. Be aware of what’s working, and triple down on those posts.

P.S. If you need some close guidance for writing stuff that will grow your personal brand asset (vital) over the coming months and years…

Online Writing Alchemy shows you how to write stuff that actually builds an audience of people who want to hear more from you.

Buy the course here.

—

I’ve been writing daily for sixteen years.

Some days have been harder than others. Much harder.

I’ve noticed my enthusiasm always decreases when I am not pushing boundaries and actively becoming better at the craft.

This ultimately comes down to being more creative and finding new ways to share messages and tell stories.

Hitting a creative wall is why I changed careers from illustrator to a coach.

I wasn’t growing as an illustrator because clients wanted me to repeat the same style repeatedly.

So I had to change tracks.

If you aren’t evolving, you’re dying - in any field.

If you write articles or create anything, the solution to your malaise is working with new creative ideas.

In the context of personal branding - in the age of AI especially - we are being forced to differentiate in creative ways, too.

Read more

When in doubt, return to consistency…

If you’re looking to grow your audience online so you can make an income and impact, you’ll want to develop consistency before anything else.

Having made content online for over fourteen years, I haven’t always been consistent, but I’ve not quit.

This has helped me gather a ton of lessons, and I’ll share a few here:

1. Get over your fear of ‘overdoing it.’

A quiet voice tells us: ‘don’t do too much, you’ll rock the boat,’ ‘be careful, you don’t want to intrude on other people.’

Get stuffed, Marjorie.

We have one life.

We need to let go of the fear of annoying some people. It’s inevitable, but so is your genius.

We are literally composed of the same creative energy that holds the moon in place. Why would you hold back?

Do more.

2. Think prolific abundance, not ‘quality.’

You sweat over your work and ultimately fail to ship because you’re making each piece a big deal.

Focus on producing hundreds of items, and the frightening significance is drained from any one thing.

Aim for 90% perfect, ship, and move on. Your ‘90%’ will get better and better the more you publish.

Read more

Today’s piece is an excerpt from chapter 34 of my new book, The Never-Retired Writer.

It’s about one of the biggest forces holding writers back from the work they actually want to make.

---

When I first started writing in public, I’d feel a twinge of sadness mixed with anger when receiving a negative comment or losing a follower.

I’d see someone unsubscribe from my newsletter, take it personally, and spend the rest of the evening sulking.

But over time, I realised this was an inevitable part of the journey. If you want to grow as an authentic and bold writer, being disliked is unavoidable.

Not everyone will like what you have to say. This is good because when you’re polarising, you will attract the right readers, those who align with your personality and values, and repel those who aren’t right for your brand.

This means you craft the kind of brand that expresses who you really are, bringing the right people.

Bold, honest writing stands out. Playing it too safe won’t resonate with anyone, but most of all, it will be felt as regret by you.

The warrior’s path is when you take a stand for what you believe, and say it, even if it could hurt some feelings or attract criticism. It’s also the best path, because if you’re building a brand based on a fake you, what are you actually building?

You’re here to make an impact and leave a legacy. A legacy is built by fearless leaders, not by those looking to be liked by everyone.

Fear of judgement is the single most significant and common force holding writers back. We’re wired to fear banishment from the tribe. But this is something you must find the courage to push against.

Take small steps. You will get better at handling criticism. You develop resilience here by doing things, not worrying about things.

Recognising this as an expected part of your growth and success will help you do what you need to do, which is to write anyway. This will give you an edge over other writers.

Your strongest supporters will emerge when you write with conviction, particularly things most don’t have the courage to say.

This is when you get those diehard fans. An audience that contains a large chunk of people who rave about your work is what you want most of all. This comes from being bold, bringing your whole self to your writing, and speaking assertively and with personality.

Don’t worry if much of your audience doesn’t seem so vocal about your words, either. Many are lurking in the shadows. They are benefiting and prodding their friends to read, too.

The goal is not to provoke for the sake of it. It is to write what you truly believe because you know that those willing to listen will benefit immensely from your stories, ideas, and solutions.

Even if some people don’t like it.

Your voice becomes magnetic when you own your own perspective. People are looking for people who can lead them. You are the answer.

Having the courage to be disliked will set you apart in a sea of vanilla writers.

---

That was chapter 34 of 62 of my just-released book, The Never-Retired Writer.

The rest goes deep into how to build a writing life, from finding your topics and growing your newsletter, to the 12 ways I’ve made money from writing over sixteen years.

The book is on Amazon now. Grab it here. (I appreciate it).

Alex

—

There are a lot of skills you can develop in 2026, and most of them have a limited shelf life.

Writing online does not.

It’s brought me opportunities, security, friends and fulfilment for over a decade, and continues to do so.

Here are 15 advantages you start building from the very first piece you publish, whether you write fiction, non-fiction, or both.

1. You stop being invisible.

The internet is full of people consuming, and almost no one creating with much intention. The moment you publish, you’re already in a category most people will never enter.

Even one article puts you in front of strangers who’d otherwise never know you existed. It’s a very satisfying feeling.

2. You start owning an audience.

Every reader who finds your writing and signs up for your newsletter is someone you can reach directly, forever.

No confused algorithm decides whether they see you. You own that connection (without the fear of losing them like you could on social media platforms), and over time, it becomes the most valuable asset in your career.

3. You think more clearly.

Writing forces you to take vague ideas and make them precise. After a few months of regular writing, I notice I argue more clearly, decide faster, and waste less time spinning in my own head.

The thinking improvement alone is worth showing up to write.

4. You build leverage.

One article can reach a thousand people or more. Your time-to-value ratio collapses in a way no other career allows.

I’ve had pieces that took me twenty minutes to write earn more than some people make in a month of regular work.

5. You become impossible to lay off.

When your income comes from your own audience, your work, and your ideas, no boss can take it away.

The moment you start building this, the threat of redundancy stops being a fear that lives in your chest. Writing becomes an asset that brings attention to your ideas for life.

6. You attract the right people without trying.

Your writing acts as a magnet.

The people who resonate with how you think, what you care about, and how you write find their way to you. Clients, collaborators, friends and partners all show up because of words I wrote months or years ago.

7. You develop a real voice.

Most people go through life sounding like everyone else. Writing online forces you to figure out what you actually think, how you sound, what people respond well to, and what you stand for.

That voice carries into every other part of your life, from how you present yourself in meetings to how you talk to your children.

8. You earn from anywhere.

Writing is the most location-independent career on the planet.

A laptop and Wi-Fi are basically the entire infrastructure. Ok, this one will take a while, but earning doesn’t need to take as long as many think. Gather a few people around you, run a workshop, or coach. It can be fast.

I’ve earned a living from cafés in Ho Chi Minh City, kitchens in Tbilisi, and now a desk in Sofia, Bulgaria.

9. You build a body of work that compounds.

Every article, every email, every story and every book is a brick in a wall that keeps growing.

Years later, that body of work is doing the selling, the discovery of new readers, and the credibility-building, while I count sheep in bed.

10. You get sharper at noticing things.

Writers are observers. You start spotting the small details in conversations, in the news, in your own life that everyone else misses.

That attention bleeds into how you read people, situations, and make decisions.

11. You discover income streams you didn’t know existed.

Sponsorships, affiliate deals, paid newsletters, courses, coaching, books, licensing, speaking gigs, ghostwriting, consulting. Writers can create income streams that most people never even hear about.

The book I just wrote covers the twelve I’ve personally used.

12. You build genuine confidence.

Hitting publish and surviving the full range of responses is one of the fastest ways to build real self-trust. Creating something to completion, ideally daily, builds resilience.

Every piece you put out and don’t die from teaches you that the worst-case scenario you imagined isn’t real.

13. You meet your tribe.

Writers attract writers. Within a year of writing in public, you’ll have a small circle of people who read your work, reply to your emails, and become real friends.

That community has been truly valuable to me, especially when I do my writing solo.

14. You become better with age.

Most careers reward youth and punish age. Writing inverts this.

The older you get, the more lived experience you have, the better your writing gets, and the more authority you carry. There’s no expiry date.

15. You get to design a life you don’t want to escape from.

This is the one that matters most. When your work is built around expressing what you actually think and care about, you stop dreaming about retirement.

You start dreaming about the next thing you want to write.

This is exactly what I cover in my new book, The Never-Retired Writer, which launched recently.

It’s 62 short, actionable chapters on building a writing life that gives you income, freedom, and a body of work that compounds for the rest of your life.

Grab your copy here.

Enjoy!

Alex

A guy I follow on Twitter asked his followers:

‘What’s ONE challenge people face when trying to grow on Twitter?’

I tweet responded:

‘Losing the enjoyment to create and write. You need to find a way to have fun here or you’ll give up.’

He inspired me to write a post on all the ways we can make consistent writing enjoyable.

Here’s what I know to work having written close to 100,000 tweets in the last 12 years:

Be obsessed

The energy around obsession will carry you further than anyone else. Obsession grows out of momentum.

Don’t think, just write, and you will be energised to write more. There’s little more exhilarating than being taken by this current.

Make it a game

Most of us make things personal: ‘I’m just not a writer,’ ‘I’m not cut out for writing every day.’

Sorry, bud, but who cares about you? Let go of yourself and focus on your system. So make your system a fun game. Draw a big X on your wall calendar each day you write.

Be real

Parroting platitudes is going to suck the soul out of you. You will quit if you’re not speaking your truth.

Dig deep and tell us what you really want to tell us. Writing is not a hobby — it’s a crusade.

Be patient

You’re expecting immediate results.

Of course you’re hating this game. Stay in it. Enjoy the process. I wrote 200 articles before anyone took any interest. Now my words reach hundreds of thousands daily.

Write lists

Brainstorming ideas is foundational for my work. I love the process of coming up with lots of ideas to solve specific problems (like writing this post). Start here.

Write down everything you can think of on a topic. How is this not fun?

Focus on results

Let’s be real. You’re not likely to want to keep creating if your content continually gets little engagement, and you see little growth. It’s not just about ‘self-growth.’

You want to win. As such, you must continually learn everything you can to succeed on the platform you are using. You are not ‘above’ learning about what works.

Treat writing as a mindfulness exercise

Just like the walk through the woods, or the meditation you look forward to, writing can be the same.

Sit down, open your mind, connect with your soul, and type freely.

Break

You need to pace yourself. Have short and long breaks.

Rest isn’t laziness — it will fuel and recharge you so that your subsequent writing benefits. Your best writing needs you to take time away from the computer, and having experiences out in the world (that you can write about!).

Know your why(s)

What’s your vision?

Who do you want to attract the attention of? What great things are you building? What exciting results are you working towards?

Remind yourself of your writing purpose daily.

Be fast

Writing fast gives us no option to stall. We must write — this will lead to more fluid words, and therefore better words.

Write a lot. Edit later.

Watch your words accumulate like bricks for some magnificent palace. You can write a book in a weekend.

Tell us your stories

You’ll be surprised how many life tales you can draw upon.

Even seemingly ‘meaningless’ or understated moments can be turned into a meaningful story and post from which readers can gain.

Commit to fun

Look for it.

Ask: How can I have fun in my writing today? 80% of the fun in writing comes from you simply deciding to have fun.

Write short

A book is composed of many 50-word pieces. Focus on the 50-word chunks. This will enliven you because it’s easy.

Be more conversational

Allow your writing to come out as effortlessly as it would when you’re speaking to a friend in the pub.

Writing doesn’t need to be some dry, formal process. Speak with your fingers.

Plan less

Let writing be an explorative process. Sure, have an outline, but otherwise just write to figure it out.

Write your way through problems to find solutions. Surprise yourself with what appears.

When we don’t know the ending, it’s more interesting.

Be ridiculous

When everyone is writing a thread a month, you’re writing five a week. Be crazy. Create a major unfair advantage.

Be over the top.

Life’s too short otherwise.

Write about what you need help with

Our brains are attuned to solving problems, and enjoy the satisfaction from finding a solution. Let writing be your tool for this. Write to solve your own challenges, and you will help others with theirs too.

Be strong

You’re writing tweets. Your forefathers battled for survival in a trench. You can sit with the discomfort, and you will write.

When you meet pain head-on and you stay in the game, you will be rewarded with creative energy.

Write about what fascinates you

There are hundreds of topics on which you can share. Focus on the stuff that you are interested in.

What do you love nerding out on?

This seems obvious, but many don’t, and they get bored. What do you buy lots of books on, or watch a lot of videos on? Go there.

Final takeaway: if you forget all of what I shared here, do this ⮕

Be willing to write when you’re uncomfortable, bored, alone, scared, dispassionate and not interested.

Be willing to write poor, ugly, uninspiring words.

When you lean into the writing and just write, no matter the situation, an interesting thing will happen:

You will start to feel it. You will start to have fun.

You will have stumbled on the secret.

If you want to make a living with writing, you’ll want to jump on this:

I’m launching The Never-Retired Writer book on Amazon this Saturday, April 25th at 9am ET, for just $0.99 during a special 3-day launch window before it goes up to $9.99.

Keep an eye on your inbox Saturday morning so you can grab it at launch price.

Later,

Alex

‘Personal branding’ is fake and bullshit.

…If you’re trying to be like everyone else, that is.

Many people say to me: ‘Hey Alex, how do you make money doing what you love while getting to live in cool places like Thailand and Poland?’

Being intentional about building a personal brand over many years has made this possible.

These things are out of reach if people don’t know you, trust you or connect with the real you.

Your job is to demonstrate how you are uniquely suited to how you can make someone’s life better.

Seeing this, your people will gather around you like excited flying ants around an evening street lamp.

Personal branding makes this possible.

It’s taken me a while to understand what separates the great brands from the ones that splutter and die.

When I look at the language a lot of people use to promote the idea of personal branding, I see:

• Freedom

• Grow your audience

• Monetise

• Escape the 9-5

• More time for other things

• Close more clients…

Notice, it’s very YOU focused.

I DO believe it’s essential to have goals that serve you and allow you to support yourself and your family.

It’s vital that what you build is sustainable, keeps money coming in, and that you’re not working hard at the expense of your personal joy and sanity.

But many have a lack of PURPOSE that sustains their work over many years.

This is why so many entrepreneurs burn out, need more direction, and lose faith in the process.

I can’t tell you how many friends I’ve made online over the years who are now nowhere to be seen.

Many become carbon copies of everyone else and wonder why something is missing.

I’ve had many phases in my 15-year career working for myself where I felt bored, flat or even angry.

I didn’t know what I was doing it all for, which was painful.

I learned that no personal brand can be sustained if you don’t understand the broader implications of your actions.

This is where natural, burning, even obsessive energy comes from.

It’s about understanding how you are uniquely contributing in the world.

It’s about knowing exactly how you’re needed.

It’s about connecting your purpose and your unique skills to the marketplace.

This is how real personal brands set themselves apart.

I am legitimately excited about working on my business every day because I know it’s about more than getting paid.

I know I am making a difference.

I am fighting a cause.

It’s the fight that energises the crap out of me.

What’s my other little secret?

My inner dragon 🐉.

Wait, what?

You got it.

We all have an inner dragon waiting to be put to use.

He’s usually fast asleep.

The little fucker wakes up when we identify our enemy.

Your dragon gives you energy when there is a fight to be had.

This doesn’t mean living in anger.

It just means you know what deeper problem you’re out here solving - both for yourself and for the world - and that energises you.

Being aware of an antagonist in your life is the missing ingredient many miss.

The things that repeatedly brought you pain and frustration in your past can be seen as an enemy.

No movie or novel in your top five is without a juicy enemy.

Enemies give us something to fight for, and this is what sits at the heart of a purpose-driven life.

“Without enemies around us, we grow lazy. An enemy at our heels sharpens our wits, keeping us focused and alert. It is sometimes better, then, to use enemies as enemies rather than transforming them into friends or allies.“ - Robert Greene

I struggled to express myself at school because I was terrified of rejection.

So I learned that my big enemy was self-suppression.

Now I help others overcome this challenge through my brand and business.

I’ve become a master at communication and human behaviour without realising it was because the enemy awakened the dragon within me.

I now help people become unstoppable, authentic leaders through the brands they build.

I have direction.

This direction benefits both those who follow my ideas, but it also gives me direction, and it raises my value in the marketplace.

Knowing my purpose defines every aspect of my personal brand, from the dragon imagery to my content strategy.

And notice how the focus isn’t on me.

It’s on helping other people overcome an enemy and build a purpose-driven business. And this is enlivening for me.

It’s what makes me want to write about it and get on podcasts about it.

It makes all this bullshit about ‘personal branding’ easy.

So, to build a personal brand that sustains you but also fulfils and energises you…

You must identify your enemy and weave that understanding into all you do.

What are you fighting for?

How are you helping others in this fight?

Reflect on what this might be.

This is the secret sauce.

P.S. If you need some close guidance for writing stuff that will grow your personal brand asset (vital) over the coming months and years…

Online Writing Alchemy shows you how to write stuff that actually builds an audience of people who want to hear more from you.

Buy the course here.

It’s intriguing to extract behaviour patterns in those who left significant legacies behind.

When we find behaviour patterns, we see thinking patterns too.

The Mastery Memo is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

How we think and perceive the world is the most significant contributor to our behaviour.

Here are some thinking habits that unite many of our most influential people:

Read more

Many of us worry that to make money online, we need to be part of some kind of icky pyramid scheme.

To make money, we need to teach others how to make money, who will, in turn, teach others how to make money.

And on and on.

‘Hey bro, I made $40k last week selling a course on how to make $10k!’

Yes, ‘making money online’ is popular, and many hollow and scammy things are happening.

And, sure, you can make great money teaching people about making money.

If done well based on real experience, no issue.

But is there an opportunity for people who want to become known for other things?

Absolutely.

And it’s untapped as hell.

• Making ceramics

• Dog training

• Graphic design

• Being a real-life ninja

• Campervanning

• Public speaking

• Spirituality

• Self-confidence

• Fishtank maintenance

• Poetry

• Meditation

• Video-games

• Documentary film-making

• Poker

etc.

Can you make money teaching these things?

Of course.

When everyone else is teaching the same overdone, lifeless shit, you can really stand out here.

You don’t need a million followers to succeed, either.

As long as you address one or all of the following reasons people buy ANYTHING…

You ready?

Tie these in with your personal brand and message, and people will want what you’re selling:

• Help them save time

• Help them make money

• Help them raise their status

• Give them peace of mind.

Speak to one or two, or ideally, ALL of these things.

If you’re a film-maker, and you want to make money selling your training, then make sure people understand that by following your work they:

• Save time because your training makes them faster and better.

• They make more money because they can charge more for quality film production.

• Increase their status because they are learning how to make dope films.

• Have more peace of mind because they follow a legit dude who knows his stuff.

Gather your 1000 true fans by speaking real shit and being consistent on this cool thing called ‘The World Wide Internets.’

Get creative.

Make videos, share audios, tell us your gripes, show us your studio and your freaking cat Jasper.

Go deep and have fun.

You don’t need to be part of a pyramid scheme to build a thriving business.

Be real. Be a human. Be a personality. Share your obsessions.

People will fall in love with you.

They will buy from you.

And you’ll be earning money from what you love.

P.S. If you need some close guidance for writing stuff that will grow your personal brand asset (vital) over the coming months and years…

Online Writing Alchemy shows you how to write stuff that actually builds an audience of people who want to hear more from you.

Buy the course here.

People say I’m a writing machine.

But what I really am is a man with momentum.

I’ve been writing and sharing online for a good fifteen years.

I still share writing that flops, but often, these were more experimental posts or I was at the mercy of an algorithm change.

I’ve shared hundreds of articles and thousands of posts. The amount of feedback I’ve now received that shows me what works is enough to put me in a good position to share my best tips.

If you’re struggling to write posts that engage, absorb the following ideas that helped me the most:

Excellent writing has more to do with the emotional state you create in yourself as you write than any clever template or tactic used.

Readers are hungry for honesty, so learn to become comfortable being honest in your writing.

Use the simple story structure of hook, build and payoff to deliver your words, but beyond that, don’t worry about using complicated templates and formats.

You will struggle to write over the long term if you don’t view writing as a craft to enjoy and master.

The more you can help your reader experience pain, the more satisfying their relief will be when you give them the solution.

Good writing only comes when you are willing to make mistakes, so allow yourself to make them initially.

Readers want to read things about people that remind them of themselves, so you need to write like a human in the way you might speak to a close friend.

Free-write whatever words come to mind to get loose before you write so you can extract the best insights for better writing.

Write like you’re talking to a younger, less experienced you or a close friend you genuinely want to help.

If you want to grow your influence online with writing, double down on writing that has already proven itself to get a strong response.

Stop talking in concepts and start talking in specifics.

Readers don’t want more information, so excellent writing is simple and readable, with all the erroneous fat cut.

Think of yourself as an entertainer, which starts by entertaining yourself as you write.

If you can’t think of anything to write, think of a problem you have, and write your way to the solution.

Instead of telling your readers what to do, show them through examples, descriptions, stories and anecdotes.

Good writers are masters at painting clear images in the minds of their readers.

On a noisy Internet, you must master grabbing people’s attention through strong, often provocative opening lines.

Write about problems and solutions because all readers really want are solutions and relief to their problems.

The best writers in the world have written a lot of words.

If you want to write well, stop trying to write and just write, even if it starts out as complete and utter rubbish.

The more you write, the easier it gets to write.

Alex

P.S. If you need some close guidance for writing stuff that will grow your personal brand asset (vital) over the coming months and years…

Online Writing Alchemy shows you how to write stuff that actually builds an audience of people who want to hear more from you.

Buy the course here.

Do you think success as an entrepreneur is more about doing the right thing or… being free from mental limitations?

One of the benefits of having been in the online business game for so long is I get a zoomed-out vision of how things unfold.

I’ve seen things play out over a decade.

I’ve visited that place where I want to quit many times.

Read more

Many struggle to make any impact online at all.

You share your ideas, and your posts just don’t fly.

All that work for three measly likes.

It’s annoying as all hell.

I know because I wrote posts for a year before anyone gave a rat’s ass.

After sharing thousands of posts, I write to over 200,000 followers and subscribers.

Every article I wrote helped me iterate closer to writing things people enjoyed.

So, why do some creators do so well, and others fall flat?

In 16 years of writing online, I’ve seen several variables that contribute.

Interestingly, my work as a psychology coach had the greatest positive impact on my writing.

I’ve coached hundreds to overcome anxiety and self-sabotage for over eight years.

I learned that we get anxious and our creativity is blocked when self-conscious.

I also saw this very clearly in my own anxiety.

Self-focused = Low-performance.

We feel more joy and well-being when we’re not thinking about ourselves so much and adopting what I call a ‘leader’s mind.’

Other-focused = High-performance.

Thinking of others and being of service is what leaders do.

Wanting to be liked and trying to impress is what losers do.

It’s a matter of orientation.

And so it is with great writing.

Secret = Great writing flows from a leader’s mindset, which increases your performance.

It’s why you can follow a supposedly winning writing template and flop.

If you are energised, your writing will be better because your readers feel the energy and see you genuinely care.

If you are focused on genuinely helping people, you will be energised.

So, ask yourself, ‘What would truly help, lift, or entertain others?’

There’s something about this approach that opens your channels and makes your words flutter off the page.

Write to one person. That person could even be a younger you.

Write to one person you genuinely care to help.

This thinking makes all the difference.

I still sometimes forget, I do try too hard, and I do get self-conscious.

But then I go back to where my mind is oriented.

This is why good writing and mindset are so closely linked.

“If you want to learn how to think, you should learn how to write.” — Jordan Peterson

Getting this doesn’t happen overnight.

You will write things that suck until you die.

Because experimentation is part of the game too.

This is a craft to develop.

And what a freaking fun craft it can be.

So, find someone to write to today with love.

Ask how you can improve their life so they come away from your work feeling better.

Write to that.

Enjoy.

Alex

P.S. If you need some close guidance for writing stuff that will grow your personal brand asset (vital) over the coming months and years…

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I get it.

You got something ‘wrong’ a few times. Now you have evidence pointing to your ineptitude.

You tried a thing, and someone gave you negative feedback. Now you feel bad because you made it about you.

You started that new project (which took guts, by the way) and released it to the world. Your beloved creation was met by two likes (one from your mum) and the rest…crickets.

12 views.

‘Wonderful,’ you whisper sarcastically.

‘This must mean I’m not good enough,’ you murmur.

‘I’m stupid,’ you proclaim.

But, are you really, though?

Take a closer look at the thing you did that prompted you to come to your hastily-informed self-diagnosis.

You did it a few times.

Perhaps you did it once last year, and you did it this year.

How many times have you given a talk on stage?

‘Probably, four.’

How many articles have you written?

‘Um, like maybe forty.’

Well. There you go.

Now we’re seeing this for what it is.

We’re out of illusion and back to reality.

Maybe you’re not the colossal moron you’d initially thought.

Maybe you just haven’t put in the time and attention required to improve.

Because, after all, it’s time and attention that all the geniuses put towards the object of their craft.

Regardless of all the clever hacks and tips and tricks that exist out there, it’s time spent with a thing that is the deciding factor.

Every one of the greats spent the first fifty hours looking like a straight doofus.

Even Leonardo DaVinci.

That first sketchbook - the one his mama threw away - looked like a spider covered in black ink walked all over it.

But they all became great because they committed time, energy and attention to their craft while others were in the pub.

Maybe you’re not stupid.

Maybe you just need time.

Maybe you need to pick that thing up again and put in the hours.

Repetitions are fuel.

Repetition creates trust.

It strengthens the trust others have in you, but importantly, it builds the trust you have in yourself.

Pick it up. Throw it. Again and again and again and again.

Do it for one hundred days.

Then, you can return to me and tell me you’re not cut out for it.

Alex

P.S. You don’t want to publish a book or article to zero audience.

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