Alex here. I’m in a cafe in Krakow with a flat white, and the weather is drizzly.
I thought it was about time to make better use of this here thread discussion thing in Substack for you awesome subscribers.
I plan to put one of these out several times each month.
Some of these will be for all, and some - just for you paying members.
I also have chats going on in the Substack app. Not quite sure why this is different, but let’s try this.
I literally have no idea what to do here that would be of value, so I want to ask you guys because I know a group of you is better than any one mind in this instance.
These thread discussions allow us to add messages in a kind of blog format that gets continually added to.
BTW, If you haven’t yet subscribed, so you can access exclusive material, join here:
What do you think is a creative/valuable/cool way to use this thread tool for this kind of community?
Responses welcome!
Get creative (and do introduce yourself with a pic if you haven’t yet).
P.S. Also feel free to ask me anything - I’ll try my best.
Maybe for individuals to post scenarios for advice, sort of like a Dear Abby, or like the New York Times the Ethicist column... so sort of an ongoing column of back and forth, with encouragement to the question asker to write out a paragraph or two describing themselves and their situation.
That’s what the message said to say…my sense of humor is different and many do not understand me. Sometimes they get it… my humor is more about getting others to laugh at things around them… not people… being laughed at for our differences is not nice! ( I’m not perfect I know I have done so in the past, trying to rise above that).
I work in a field that I believe now is my calling… I say this because I have tried to leave several times and GOD ( yes I’m a Christian) puts me right back here. Im a server, bartender, truck driver, and an individual that knows how to clean.
Cleaning is something that everyone seems to not like to do, but they want it done or they don’t care if it’s done.
entering a new phase of my life… living without my elders… ( both parents have passed on now) … lost a good friend ( someone much like my dad).
I’m a mom, a grandma, a sister, an aunt, a great aunt …etc now an elder to many that also lost their family as well.
I’m into holistic health, natural ways to heal, less “controlled substances” ( the ones the drug dealers and doctors prescribe). Some of their medications were meant to kill me… they were almost successful. Since “I didn’t die” I am on a new path. ( I just included that because I have heard the saying “but did you die?”) it has given me CAUSE… to stand up and fight against the evil of these prescribed medications.
This is just the tip of the ICEBERG of who I am …. There is so much more to me!
So, not completely sure what to suggest as a topic. But first, I am Jay Casey, from Alabama. I'm maybe a little older than most people here, I'm 52, I believe learning is essential to growth. I also, somehow see myself as someone much younger than my age. My thought process in life centers around Don Miguel Ruiz "the 4:agreements. And I would love to see content on those 4 agreements, as well Alex, hearing your perspective on this topic would be interesting. You are always spot on in my opinion and your life suggestions are intelligent and helpful. Maybe you do not agree with the Toltec religion or even "the 4 agreements." Either way having your perspective would certainly be awesome.
Hey all. I’m Stan. Retired at 54. This is year six. Love to read and travel for exploring with my wife now that I can. Volunteer to assist homeless Veterans placing them in our tiny village as they get back on their feet. Also working on the Houseless Task Force for the Kansas City Metro area. Dad of two grown boys. I’m here to continue to expand my horizon. I’m forcing myself to journal and meditate but am finding it increasingly easier as I stick with it. I’ve learned more in the last few years from all the books in devouring than the last decade of my life. Can’t wait to learn from this creative and diverse group. Excited to be a part of this tribe.
Good morning Alex, this sounds like it is going to be different and successful.
My name is Joseph Haskett I’m 44 years young. I am Assistant Plant Manager for my company.
I have recently Divorced my wife of 15 years. I have Twin Girls who are going to turn 12 in a couple of months. I have recently come to terms with all this and am excited to start my new journey.
This is the first time I have ever joined anything like this so I am looking forward to contributing where I can.
oh these are great. Some of the business questions will be addressed in my other newsletter: The Mastery Memo, also on Substack, which aims to help those who want to make a business from coaching and teaching.
You know me well, Alex, and that means if you throw a ball right over the plate, I have to swing at it.
What would be creative and valuable and cool would be for you to serve as a connector of stories generated by the people who you already know. That's all of your subscribers and others who have purchased stuff you produce. Instead of this being all about you, I would love for you to turn the camera around and tell me about the people who are hooked on Untethered Mind.
Hey Alex, thanks for this.I follow you to unlock my mind and reignite my creativity.It would be great to share experiences, challenges & hacks on writing, creating,. You can share with us valuable insights with us.
Awesome. Personally I find text more approachable as I can view it in any setting and think about it at my own pace, multitasking and in the company of others. Audio/video is harder for me, but that's just me, others might find the audio/video more personal, I don't know.
Hi all I live in Ballarat Victoria Australia I'm a telephone crisis support counsellor working predominantly with males going through hardship (grief, isolation, disenfranchised, broken marriages, disconnected from children, existential crisis, despair etc) I am stuck writing a novel which has blown out to about 600 000 words so is now more like a few novels! I think it has become an go to avoidance tactic and I want to get it under control. I am a hoarder of "things to do" - especially study courses - I have a hard drive full of good intentions :) want less intent and more (productive) action.
I'd like to use the thread to focus on discussion how an Untethered Mind post impacted us and changed our day our week our lives - maybe one dot point that punched us in the guts and said "holy fuck I needed to hear that" and then more importantly WHAT WE DID ABOUT IT.
Thanks for your insightful blog! (Is it still called a blog?)
My own business involves teaching poetry, both to groups (at writer.org) and to individuals (see https://www.writer.org/connect/consultants/). This probably seems very specialized, but most of what I teach about poetry can also help in writing prose that people use every day.
How best to keep in touch with former students and remind them I’m here to help?
Hey Claudia, it's a sort of blog/newsletter/community/social media thing! Super straight forward ;).
I have no doubt that your poetry lessons help with writing in general. I would suggest having something like this - a newsletter of some kind which allows you to keep in touch. You might experiment with something like ConvertKit or Substack.
I see posts coming up on Medium which I do not subscribe to
Where are these posts encapsulated elsewhere? Are they all on your blog on the website? Where do I find for instance "You are not a perfectionist - you're using that as an excuse"
Hey Margaret, you'll need a $5 per month membership to read many of the Medium ones. Some of those are shared elsewhere, including on this newsletter for early access. Yes, some of the Medium articles might show up on my blog too. Did that answer your Q?
Well as a subscriber (to you) i just don't want to miss any and thought they would be contained somewhere all together...(i don't like Medium there’s too much sadistic content on there)
don't worry about it - I reshare older articles on Medium occasionally, and the main stuff is shared here, so as long as you're here on Substack, you're good.
It would be good for people to post favourite books read, articles read, productivity hacks etc. A resource we can all utilise and add to.
love it - an ever-growing resource for self-dev nuts :)
Love this idea 💡
Maybe for individuals to post scenarios for advice, sort of like a Dear Abby, or like the New York Times the Ethicist column... so sort of an ongoing column of back and forth, with encouragement to the question asker to write out a paragraph or two describing themselves and their situation.
oh wow, I actually really like that. Thanks Michael! I could even do an audio/vid response. And with added benefit of group support.
Great idea. I didn’t even know that was possible. Going to consider that for my own pub!
I will start… “Something about myself”….lol
That’s what the message said to say…my sense of humor is different and many do not understand me. Sometimes they get it… my humor is more about getting others to laugh at things around them… not people… being laughed at for our differences is not nice! ( I’m not perfect I know I have done so in the past, trying to rise above that).
I work in a field that I believe now is my calling… I say this because I have tried to leave several times and GOD ( yes I’m a Christian) puts me right back here. Im a server, bartender, truck driver, and an individual that knows how to clean.
Cleaning is something that everyone seems to not like to do, but they want it done or they don’t care if it’s done.
entering a new phase of my life… living without my elders… ( both parents have passed on now) … lost a good friend ( someone much like my dad).
I’m a mom, a grandma, a sister, an aunt, a great aunt …etc now an elder to many that also lost their family as well.
I’m into holistic health, natural ways to heal, less “controlled substances” ( the ones the drug dealers and doctors prescribe). Some of their medications were meant to kill me… they were almost successful. Since “I didn’t die” I am on a new path. ( I just included that because I have heard the saying “but did you die?”) it has given me CAUSE… to stand up and fight against the evil of these prescribed medications.
This is just the tip of the ICEBERG of who I am …. There is so much more to me!
Great to meet you Becca! Welcome aboard.
So, not completely sure what to suggest as a topic. But first, I am Jay Casey, from Alabama. I'm maybe a little older than most people here, I'm 52, I believe learning is essential to growth. I also, somehow see myself as someone much younger than my age. My thought process in life centers around Don Miguel Ruiz "the 4:agreements. And I would love to see content on those 4 agreements, as well Alex, hearing your perspective on this topic would be interesting. You are always spot on in my opinion and your life suggestions are intelligent and helpful. Maybe you do not agree with the Toltec religion or even "the 4 agreements." Either way having your perspective would certainly be awesome.
Welcome Jay. Good thought - I am definitely on board with the 4 agreements. Would love to speak about them.
Nice to meet you James. I’m 62 this year with thoughts that are fresher than ever! :)
Hey all. I’m Stan. Retired at 54. This is year six. Love to read and travel for exploring with my wife now that I can. Volunteer to assist homeless Veterans placing them in our tiny village as they get back on their feet. Also working on the Houseless Task Force for the Kansas City Metro area. Dad of two grown boys. I’m here to continue to expand my horizon. I’m forcing myself to journal and meditate but am finding it increasingly easier as I stick with it. I’ve learned more in the last few years from all the books in devouring than the last decade of my life. Can’t wait to learn from this creative and diverse group. Excited to be a part of this tribe.
Brilliant, Stan - sounds like there is much to learn from you too.
Good morning Alex, this sounds like it is going to be different and successful.
My name is Joseph Haskett I’m 44 years young. I am Assistant Plant Manager for my company.
I have recently Divorced my wife of 15 years. I have Twin Girls who are going to turn 12 in a couple of months. I have recently come to terms with all this and am excited to start my new journey.
This is the first time I have ever joined anything like this so I am looking forward to contributing where I can.
great to meet you Joseph! Happy to have you here.
Hi camarade! Tks for community creating for man. My suggestion is about:
Tips for living alone
Storytelling train using tips suggested by members and present via zoom.
How to be more successful in career progression
How to make own business
oh these are great. Some of the business questions will be addressed in my other newsletter: The Mastery Memo, also on Substack, which aims to help those who want to make a business from coaching and teaching.
You know me well, Alex, and that means if you throw a ball right over the plate, I have to swing at it.
What would be creative and valuable and cool would be for you to serve as a connector of stories generated by the people who you already know. That's all of your subscribers and others who have purchased stuff you produce. Instead of this being all about you, I would love for you to turn the camera around and tell me about the people who are hooked on Untethered Mind.
great thought Georgia, the great things is that these threads and chats in Substack enable this kind of thing, so watch this spaaaaaaaaace.
Love what you're doing right now - being in the moment - and Krakow is an amazing place to do just that
i love it here! It's a great place to be in the moment, thanks Henry :)
Hey Alex, thanks for this.I follow you to unlock my mind and reignite my creativity.It would be great to share experiences, challenges & hacks on writing, creating,. You can share with us valuable insights with us.
my pleasure. You've already spurred on new ideas!
Awesome. Personally I find text more approachable as I can view it in any setting and think about it at my own pace, multitasking and in the company of others. Audio/video is harder for me, but that's just me, others might find the audio/video more personal, I don't know.
I get that. I think there's an advantage text has in many ways, which is why this could work really well as a regular feature here.
Hi all I live in Ballarat Victoria Australia I'm a telephone crisis support counsellor working predominantly with males going through hardship (grief, isolation, disenfranchised, broken marriages, disconnected from children, existential crisis, despair etc) I am stuck writing a novel which has blown out to about 600 000 words so is now more like a few novels! I think it has become an go to avoidance tactic and I want to get it under control. I am a hoarder of "things to do" - especially study courses - I have a hard drive full of good intentions :) want less intent and more (productive) action.
Hey Margaret! Brilliant! I have a focus course coming soon for members that may help :-)
Thanks, Alex. Hoping to have time for that soon!
I'd like to use the thread to focus on discussion how an Untethered Mind post impacted us and changed our day our week our lives - maybe one dot point that punched us in the guts and said "holy fuck I needed to hear that" and then more importantly WHAT WE DID ABOUT IT.
oh that would be a nice ego stroke for me ;) thanks Margaret!
This idea gets my vote as well.
One thing you read that moved you and why? Then, what you are (I am!) specifically going to do differently today and here forth because of that.
thanks for the note, Ruth!
Hi Alex,
Thanks for your insightful blog! (Is it still called a blog?)
My own business involves teaching poetry, both to groups (at writer.org) and to individuals (see https://www.writer.org/connect/consultants/). This probably seems very specialized, but most of what I teach about poetry can also help in writing prose that people use every day.
How best to keep in touch with former students and remind them I’m here to help?
Thanks,
Claudia Gary
Hey Claudia, it's a sort of blog/newsletter/community/social media thing! Super straight forward ;).
I have no doubt that your poetry lessons help with writing in general. I would suggest having something like this - a newsletter of some kind which allows you to keep in touch. You might experiment with something like ConvertKit or Substack.
I am a professional Coach, trying scaling up my business. Thanks
welcome Sanjay - you will find this newsletter helpful for the mindset part, and my other newsletter: The Mastery Memo great for business growth
i am loving this forum..
glad to hear it Sanjay! What's new with you?
I see posts coming up on Medium which I do not subscribe to
Where are these posts encapsulated elsewhere? Are they all on your blog on the website? Where do I find for instance "You are not a perfectionist - you're using that as an excuse"
Hey Margaret, you'll need a $5 per month membership to read many of the Medium ones. Some of those are shared elsewhere, including on this newsletter for early access. Yes, some of the Medium articles might show up on my blog too. Did that answer your Q?
Well as a subscriber (to you) i just don't want to miss any and thought they would be contained somewhere all together...(i don't like Medium there’s too much sadistic content on there)
don't worry about it - I reshare older articles on Medium occasionally, and the main stuff is shared here, so as long as you're here on Substack, you're good.
I appreciate the comment Annie! And I'm afraid I won't be changing the way I address my readers.
Good on you Alex: Stick to your guns 💪
"guys" has long since been considered gender inclusive I think! I have zero perception of it being masculine when used as a mode of collective address