Non-Obvious Environment Change

That you need to make.

Ask any high achiever how they’ve achieved their success, and they’ll tell you it’s about what they did right.

This applies to solopreneurs, too. Rich solopreneurs will tell you they wrote every day, sent pitches to clients, or improved their product.

They’ll also package it in a course, put it in a book, and sell it.

And maybe it’s the best freaking book or course in the history of the industry—chances are, the advice it contains remains mostly unused.

Some studies suggest that only 10% of online course takers apply what they learn.

The question is why. If you promised them a fortune, and they can see that you’re making a fortune, why wouldn’t they follow your advice?

Think of a seed.

Put it in toxic soil and it’ll never grow.

Even if it knows it really could. Even if it knows exactly how. Even if it really wants to. Even if it reads all the motivational posts in the world.

Put it in rich, nourishing soil with sunlight and water, and it thrives effortlessly.

The same is true for humans.

In psychology, this is called “situationism.” In sociology, it’s called “structural determinism.” In business, it shows up as “systems thinking.”

All of these point to the same idea: the environment (or system) beats the individual. Always.

Your environment is stronger than you think.

Multiple Stanford studies found that people underestimate how much their environment shapes behaviour.

In one, participants believed their internal motivation determined whether they’d eat unhealthy snacks. In reality, proximity – how close the snacks were placed – was the dominant factor.

Another demonstrated how environment (prison context) transforms behaviour regardless of personality.

Workers are 23% more productive in clean, minimalist offices. Smokers quit more successfully when they change social circles.

The list of proof goes on.

But what can you *do* with this knowledge?

Unless you’ve lived under a rock, you’ve heard of the popular environment optimisation advice for solopreneurs: reduce notifications, keep your phone in the other room, etc.

Useful, yes. But let’s go deeper with an environment change that’s far more powerful—and far less obvious.

Here it is:

Unfollow all creators who make you feel anxious and impatient.

• All creators who make you feel scared because “you’ll miss out on an amazing opportunity” or “you’re not good enough in a saturated market.” They’re doing it to sell you something.

• All creators who focus on the money and nothing else. They’re pumping you full of dopamine, and usually that’s all.

• All creators who tell you that money loves speed. Ironically, the average age of first becoming a millionaire is 59 (according to a 2019 study).

These creators aren’t bad sources of learning. In fact, many share great tactics.

But if your inbox is full of their messages, you’ll never feel good enough or rich enough. You’ll struggle to focus because you’ll always wonder what new hack is making someone else rich.

These creators are a big part of your toxic soil.

Consume more than you create; just consume intentionally.

One advice has been circulating the Internet for a while now, shared even by top creators like Nicholas Cole and Ayodeji Awosika.

They say you should consume less and create more.

And if they mean we should consume less of the aforementioned creators, I fully agree.

But overall, I don’t.

• If you create without consuming broadly, your work risks being naive, derivative, or lacking depth. In any business, not just online writing.

• New ideas are born from connecting existing ones. If you aren’t consuming widely, your creative palette is limited.

• Studying competitors, understanding trends, analysing what resonates – these are essential forms of consumption before creating effectively.

Consume more than you create, just consume intentionally.

• Prioritize original studies, direct data, lived experiences.

• Read in-depth synthesised insights from curators who deeply analyse (not just summarise) topics.

• Read timeless works like books, essays, frameworks that remain relevant beyond trends.

These will teach you how to think. They’ll create the rich, nourishing soil your mind needs to thrive.

If you want to become a thought-leader, you need a soil where your mind thrives first.

You can learn how to do later.

Till next time,

Maya