The Algorithm Is Thought

 

(Affiliate links are in this article. Clicking and buying books that will change your life may get me a commission.)

We are constantly creating

The argument could be that you need to release an article a day. Others would say it has to do with titles. Some would say you need at least 1K followers until you can start to gain traction. Others would say you’re all wrong. All of these opinions contain the right answer. The fact of the matter is, no matter what you choose to do, you are choosing thoughts, and you are creating.

You could create a book, or a whole lot of laziness. Either way, it gets created. And you’re the one thinking it into routine, and reality.

You could follow all of the techniques that are taught by life-hack gurus to have success as a writer on Medium. And all of it can work. Because here’s the good news:

It all depends on you

Your success has nothing to do with a Medium algorithm. Or an article you read. Or a guru. You have to decide how much you are worth on a given day as a writer and that’s what makes the difference between success and failure.

Notice where your attention has been. Have you been reading? Reading is a writer’s recovery meal. Have you been interacting with others? Exchanges take your head out of the sand. Have you been writing? It keeps your mind flexible and strong.

You could prefer heavy lifting. There are days when I do too. I crank out endless words for the sake of testing my limits. To see how reliable I can be, when push comes to shove and I’m suddenly presented with a deadline.

I know that I have only one deadline and that’s midnight

By that time, I need to have my dailies done.

While I work, I am thinking about my children. I am dreaming about us going to Disney World. Playing in the snow. Watching A Christmas Story between watching Nintendo Switch speedruns. This is where I am.

I do the heavy lifting so that I can lay a lot of brick down fast

At this point in the game I’m working on foundation. So when an idea comes up for an article, instead of writing it down I start a draft. I put down the title, and the subtitle, and start giving it a rhythm. Like a song lyric.

Everyone loves music. Little secret right there. Make your titles punch like a sweet intro verse, and readers will want to hear the hook.

I do the light lifting to focus on flexibility

This is what I call crafting. It’s a form of art. It requires minimalism. Reduction. I can take on this role some days but I prefer volume. I like having pages in hand.

Be careful of the thoughts you entertain

Anytime a thought comes into my head that entertains the idea that there is some team of adjudicators looking at every piece that’s published on here, I realize I have now entered the world of fantasy.

Better to entertain the idea that if I imagine myself as successful here, then the job is done. I decide what success is for me. I don’t hold back.

I allow myself to dream

And then I create. After thinking about being with my children again. I know I am aligned with love, and I can start writing. It’s joyful. Truly. To surrender to the page, and find it works better than if I tried to manhandle every single word and phrase. That’s utter torture.

No one cares about when you enter the stream

Just jump in. There’s no perfect time. The thoughts are all here, and you just have to entertain one. And the good news is, if you’re writing fiction, you have all the freedom in the world to explore any idea out there. It’s your choice. No one in their right mind will ever hold this against you. It’s here for you because you had the courage to step up to the plate.

Don’t forget your bat

Be ready to take a swing. Hang in there. Do not freak out. Grab anything that generates an emotion. Even if it is the stress of writing — good. Talk about it.

I get stressed every time I sit down to write. Hold on, someone’s messaging me. See? I don’t even know where I am going with this. I just keep getting distracted by everyone anytime I sit down to write. I feel like it’s a sign. Still, I don’t know what to do with it. All my life this has been the case, where I feel like there is some entity out there, some force, that keeps giving me vital messages, but I just keep missing them. And it’s because I know I can do this, but I just don’t have the courage to start.

And there you go.

Notice how I spoke in the first-person. This was a big game changer for me.

Watch how lame this is without first-person:

I watch the coward sit down to write. Every time it’s the same damn thing. Coward gets distracted by the cell phone, comes back and pretends like there’s no sense in continuing. I’ve been watching this coward do this for years on end, erroneously. To the point where it makes me want to scream.

See? I can’t even do it. I’ll try again.

Jenny said to Jill, “OMG I can’t f-ing do this for the life of me.”

Jill said to Jenny, “Oh Jenny, you know you’re the best writer out of all of us. You’re the one who motivates me to write! I’m almost done with my first draft of my novel. It only took me two years. And that’s because of you!”

Jenny wants to cry. She looks at the typewriter that Olden Lockehart Smith sent her, with a note inside that said he believes in her, and to start here. And to shut off that damn cell phone as it’s a nuisance.

Jenny shuts her phone off, and puts a piece of paper into the machine, and cannot do it.

She tries and tries to move the carriage and gets so frustrated she turns her phone back on and sends a message to Olden, who is a friend and admirer of Jenny.

“Olden wtf, this typewriter is broken.” Jenny said. “But thanks anyway…”

“Hold on, Jenny.” Olden said. “I made sure that Smith-Corona was well-packed before shipping out, and I’ve never had any issues with damages on route before. Could you please tell me the problem you are experiencing?”

“Yeah the thing with the roller won’t move. The keyboard is stuck.” Jenny said.

“Did you happen to read the letter I sent you? It explains the carriage was locked in place to keep it secure during transport. There is a silver bar release mechanism on the right side of the carriage. Push that down to release it.”

“Well why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“That’s a good question, Jenny. I’m wondering the same thing.” Olden said.

“Alright, now it’s working. Gotta go, have to write.” Jenny said.

“Glad to hear it’s up and running now, Jenny. Enjoy the machine. It’s an old relic from the 1930s and the glass keys feel really nice on the fingers. And you won’t need to press down firm like on the ones from the 1940s. You’ll find this machine to offer a very smooth ride. Have fun.”

…

I can do other perspectives, but it makes me feel like I played it safe. Like I was a fly on the wall.

I prefer to be watching along with my friends

Not knowing what will happen next, we all just keep getting freaked out by spiritual happenings to where we return every day. I purchase my ticket just like everybody else. Because it’s fiction. It’s fantasy. It’s chaos on display.

Focus on Creation

Time for goodies. Time to focus on what we can control, which are the thoughts we choose to entertain.

Play the Game of Life

Organized thought is a new language for me. I’ve been practicing for a year. I’ve undone a lot of knots. It’s skyrocketed my productivity, drive, and conviction to succeed. Thanks to this book:

The Game of Life & How to Play It — Florence Scovel Shinn (1925)

“Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” — Jesus of Nazareth

Florence Scovel Shinn’s approach to manifestation has to do with taking complete responsibility over thought. The following are excerpts from her book The Game of Life & How to Play It, written in 1925.

Procure Your Peace

The following meditation is great to use at night. It will also serve you when you need a reset from things during the day.

These words narrated by Wayne Dyer come from Three Magic Words: The Key to Peace, Power, and Plenty by U.S. Andersen.

Gain Wealth and Prosperity

Jess and her Rising Higher Meditation team release awesome meditations on YouTube. The following has really helped me to break old patterns of thought to align myself with abundance. To become financially free.

The take

Your thought is the controller when it comes to bringing what you wish to life. This is where you should be focusing all attention. Entertain that which is aligned with feeling good. Reward yourself with peace. Anytime you are unsure, return to one of these meditations.

Start first thing in the morning

Before you look at your phone. Before you get out of bed. Before you even open your eyes after waking up, affirm your worth. Before you entertain anything else that presents itself as routine or critical of you. Swipe that stuff away. Don’t entertain it. You are perfect.

You see, when you wake in the morning, it is like being born. Your energy is waiting for you to put it in motion. Start the day with positive affirmations, and they serve as the first seeds of the day, and they shall stick with you throughout it, and make miracles happen.

Try doing the opposite, and see what happens. Test it. You’re always creating, remember? Try entertaining the arguments you had before going to sleep. Try thinking that now that you’ve texted the person that you promised you wouldn’t, it has made you feel sick. Blame the world. Blame those you claim to love. Now complain that you’re late for work, because of the texting that happened with a ghost, and how it amounted to nothing. See how there’s momentum gained with these illusions. Just by entertaining the thought, it becomes real. Because the system is well established to keep you miserable. It was the order that you put in through thought. It is no one else’s order.

More reason to meditate. Do this first thing. And watch how your life changes.

The universe wants to grant your wishes but to do that you have to get out of the way. This is called having faith. It’s not religious as much as it is humbling. Practice it as much as you can, and a very powerful force will always have your back. It’s called love.

The Fine Print

Remember that your success has nothing to do with the outside world. This world is already manifest. What hasn’t happened yet, is something you have in your mind. Focus on it. Add to it. Feel good about it. Return to it. Obsess over it. Until it becomes real.

The algorithm is made of thoughts. The ones you choose to entertain feed the algorithm so that what you wish for becomes real over time. This goes for the good and bad.

Organize your thoughts in the morning through meditation. Sleep well. And stay focused on that which makes you feel good. Just doing these three things shall significantly improve your life in short order.

I say this being a man who entertained garbage for 42 years. This practice has made a world of difference in less than a year. It’s all here for you. I hope it helps you with overcoming challenges. Please let me know in the comments.

—

This post was previously published on medium.com.

***

The post The Algorithm Is Thought appeared first on The Good Men Project.