I created my first online post more than 2 years ago.

But for an entire year, all I did was fail.

Start. Stop. Start. Stop.

I was getting tense and red hot… wondering if I was the issue or if I'd ever make it in the first place.

And the hardest part?

I was chronically overwhelmed:

• I had no clue what I should do

• I didn't have "good ideas" to share online

• I wasn't an expert—so I felt like a huge imposter

And the more I focused on this experience, the more it seemed to develop.

Every day I would feel more lost, think about quitting, and struggle even show up.

When you have such big dreams but your experience is so far from that reality, it keeps you up at night. It's all you think about. It becomes an unhealthy obsession.

All you want to do is win.

You start to act un-authentically.

You copy others in hopes that you get the same results.

But at the end of the day—nothing seems to work and you think it's all your fault.

And it is.

You see… the issue isn't your skills.

It also isn't your knowledge.

It's your awareness.

Most beginners make the mistake of focusing purely on the physical aspect of growth and content creation:

• Engaging daily

• Sending cold DM's

• Posting 3 times a day

But inside… they feel like shit.

I know, because that's what I felt for that entire year of failure.

Taking action every single day, then not wanting to wake up the next. It's a painful experience. A cold, dark, and icky mental prison.

So first, I'll explain what awareness is, how it'll help you, and how you'll never have to feel overwhelmed or "stuck in life" again… let's get into it:

What the f*ck is awareness?

Awareness is the surface area of the perspective you have on reality.

Why does this matter in content creation and business?

Because everything starts in the mind:

1. You set an intention

2. Your subconscious develops it

3. You get ideas, thoughts, and insights

Exactly like how a painter needs to hold the mental image of their painting in mind (during the entire time they paint). This is how they get ideas & insights on what to do.

The same goes for you—if you don't hold the mental image of your business/brand for it to develop, it doesn't.

I'll get back to this very soon.

Coming back to awareness… you can see it as a Radio.

A radio with no on/off switch which plays 24/7—depending on where you place your awareness, you tune into that station and get similar styles of music.

Jazz… Rock… Pop… R&B… Rap…

…now, instead of music, see this as streams of thought.

This is what reality is:

Pure perspective that changes depending on where your awareness is placed.

AKA: You get more of what you think of (and can't stop this from happening).

Before moving on, notice this in your life right now.

Sweet—now we can get back to how this relates to your writing (because no matter who you are, you are a writer… YT scripts, IG posts, X posts, etc.)

So first, here's a question for you:

Where do ideas come from?

Realize:

Everything is a thought.

Nothing can exist if not first thought of.

This means, the success of your business and content is purely dependent upon the quality of the thoughts you get (since they dictate the quality of the physical reality you create).

This sounds woo-woo, but again… notice this right now.

On the small scale it's thinking of a picture, then letting your subconscious roll in the insight of doing the actions that lead to drawing that picture (but notice you have to hold the image in your mind and keep thinking of it over & over if you want to be able to draw it).

On a bigger scale, it's thinking of a business and holding that in your mind to get insights and intuition on how to get there.

Most people read this and think focus is the act of staring at your screen intensely… but they couldn't be further from the truth.

Focus is the ability to hold a mental image in mind for months or even years without getting distracted by shiny objects or experiences.

Exactly like the painter with their painting (but on a much longer timeframe).

This is why the secret to winning in all domains of life is:

Mental Clarity 101

If you want to make constant progress on your brand, you need:

• A powerful vision

• A list of non-negotiables

• Insane amounts of mental clarity

Because you need to the ability to consistently visualize and anchor yourself to the end picture… exactly like the painter (yeah, I'll keep mentioning him/her lol).

This is what these dope people meant when saying:

Knowing you want to build a business isn't enough…

You have to know the:

• Skills

• Habits

• Lifestyle

• Country

• Income

• Style of work

• Car you drive

• Beliefs & knowledge

• And more…

Get so clear on where you want to go that you can visualize it whenever you want… and bam, now you have an anchor.

An example of how this works is when something becomes urgent, you become extremely aware of all it's parts and focus on them a lot more than usual. That's why you start to take action and figure it out.

Because you anchor yourself to the image of getting it done.

But in this case you are doing it out of scarcity.

When you learn to do it on demand?

You make constant progress.

Imagine all you had to think about was your success… when on walks, you visualize and feel that life. When working, you do it too. When making coffee as well.

Like the painter, you'd make constant progress on your painting (aka: life).

This is why drama, too much TV, politics, etc. are so dangerous.

They steal your awareness—so you get thoughts and ideas relating to those instead of your business.

The Personal Philosophy Brand

Where you place your awareness is where you place your energy. And where you place your energy is where you place your development.

This means where you focus defines the ideas you get for your content.

But here's where it gets interesting:

A personal philosophy is your ideal definition of the good life…

‣ How would you walk, talk, and act?
‣ What domains would you have mastered?
‣ What habits, beliefs, and daily routines would you adopt?

By defining this vision first, then building a brand based on it—you end up developing your brand AND lifestyle all at once (because your awareness develops the vision linked to both).

This is how you merge self-development with content creation.

It's also how you stop feeling overwhelmed…

Because you now have direction. You have ideas. You have a frame for your decisions and actions.

There are 5 steps I'll walk you through to help you build your own personal philosophy brand:

1. Gain control over your awareness

If you can't control it, you can't control what you develop.

This is why you feel stuck.

Focus on these 3 planes:

1. Physical Plane (what are you consuming)

2. Mental Plane (what are you developing)

3. Spiritual Plane (what are you feeling)

If you can align these 3 planes with your personal philosophy, you'll have constant ideas, insights, and inspiration around it… (like the painter).

And it'll be both content ideas and life ideas.

Pretty cool huh?

2. Create a personal philosophy brand

I used to think my niche was a skill or transformation.

But since I made this change, I've grown 3x faster and made $20k more than last year (with organic content alone)…

It's also allowed me to write for 2 millionaires.

What was the change?

I started to treat my niche as a lifestyle.

Here's what I mean (and why it works):

By niching down on skill alone, you compete with millions of other creators trying to sell and monetize that skill.

But by niching down on lifestyle?

• Only you exist

• People relate to you more

• Your name spreads and you can network

But the best part of it all is that you can make that lifestyle your personal philosophy.

This consists of:

• 10 core values

• 5 core beliefs

• Mastery Skill

• Hero's Story

• Purpose

When all these are defined, you have 100% clarity over the image of where you are now, what you want to do, and where you want to go.

This allows you to move onto:

3. The Personal Philosophy Sheet

We need to be reminded more than we need to be taught.

This is why you need a sheet with all the points mentioned previously… something that you can easily access that reminds you of why you do what you do.

Now, every time you catch yourself thinking of what you don't want?

1. Stop what you are doing

2. Pull out the sheet

3. Feel into it

This is how you build a habit out of being your new self.

You literally change the way you think.

1. Research & Create

This is where it gets interesting…

If you've correctly defined your personal philosophy—nothing will be more important to you than that.

Because it IS your ideal self.

So this is where you want to:

• Pick up 3-5 books on similar topics

• Follow 5 newsletters from similar creators

• Fully immerse yourself in the subjects of your philosophy

Then, every time you learn something new, write about it online under the lens of your values, purpose, and beliefs (that's what makes it unique).

Because here's the thing…

1. You create impact and inspire others (giving meaning)

2. You only retain 20% of what you read, but 90% of what you teach

3. Writing about your transformation forces you to think and act like your new self, which speeds up the internal shift you’re making.

5. Develop Patience

If you expect fast results, you'll fail.

If you focus on enjoying the process and experiencing growth, you'll win.

Ask yourself:

"Would this still be worth it if it took 2x longer than I thought?"

If you answer no, then you shouldn't pursue that thing in the first place.

Can you see how important awareness is in creation?

Most people don't pay attention to where they place it—yet it is the only thing that defines the actions you take, words you write, and emotions you feel.

Awareness dictates your experience and results.

Place it on your philosophy as often as you can.

Thanks for reading.

As usual — I love you,

Euan