The Simmonds Signal

Write to bring peace to your mind. Write to create financial abundance. Write to find your people. Write to discover your personal path to spirituality. Write to know yourself. Write.

Insights, actionable tips, and philosophies for writers, creatives, and storytellers…

Mind if I ask you something?

What’s the single biggest thing standing between you and your goals?

Is it time? A strategy that actually works? Or maybe it’s that dopamine-drip addiction to scrolling social media, pretending you’re “building your craft” when really, you’re just killing hours.

Yeah, I’ve been there. Hell, I was doing it yesterday.

But here’s the thing: none of those excuses are the real issue.

The real problem? It's your belief system.

And before you roll your eyes, don’t.

Because what I’m about to share didn’t just slap me across the face—it sent my worldview spiralling like three tabs of acid on a bad trip…

Broken Beliefs, Broken You

I finally listened to Dan Koe’s podcast with fiction author Devin Erickson.

Somewhere in the middle of it, Devin dropped a line that I haven't been able to stop thinking about:

Beliefs are tools—not truths.

Your beliefs aren’t sacred. They’re not etched in stone or burned into your DNA. They’re tools—hammers, wrenches, drills. And like any tool, when they break, you don’t hold on to them. You toss them. You replace them.

But here’s the catch: most of us don’t.

Instead, we clutch our broken beliefs with desperation. Rusty hammers, dull blades, pens that ran out of ink years ago.

And then we wallow in our sorrow, wondering why nothing works.

Beliefs like:

• I’m not a good marketer

• I’m not smart enough to succeed

• I’ll never be as good as [insert writing hero here]

Sound familiar?

These beliefs feel like facts. Immutable, undeniable, unchangeable.

But here’s the truth:

They aren’t facts. They’re faulty tools.

And broken tools don’t just fail to help you. They cut you. They erode you. They sabotage you completely…

Your Net-Zero Beliefs

Let me introduce you to the net-zero belief.

It’s a belief so destructive, so insidious, that it cancels out every positive belief you have.

Think of it like a car.

The engines a V12. The tank is full. The GPS is set to your dream destination. But one tire is flat.

Guess what? You’re not going anywhere.

Net-zero beliefs are the flat tires of your belief system.

They don’t just stop your progress—they make every other belief useless. You’re left spinning your wheels, wasting energy, and wondering why you’re stuck.

The worst part? You might not even realize it’s there. Sabotaging your every move…

Inject Antivirus Into Your Belief System

Just like you can swap out a flat tire, you can replace a broken belief.

But only if you’re willing to do the work.

And that’s where writing comes in.

Writing isn’t just a creative outlet or a way to make 6 figures online. It’s the ultimate debugging tool for your mind.

Think of it like running antivirus software on your brain. Writing helps you scan for outdated beliefs, unhelpful patterns, and mental malware.

Here’s a journaling framework I use to do it:

1. Identify the Belief

Write down your goals. Then write about how you feel regarding your ability to achieve them. What doubts come up? Those are your net-zero beliefs.

2. Assess Its Usefulness

Ask yourself: Does this belief move me closer to my goal, or does it hold me back? If it’s holding you back, it’s got to go.

3. Replace It with a Better Tool

Look at people who’ve achieved what you want. What do they believe about themselves? Write those beliefs down and start practicing them.

4. Reinforce It

Writing doesn’t stop at identifying new beliefs—it’s about reinforcing them. Write about your new beliefs daily. Remind yourself why they’re better. Over time, they’ll become second nature.

The more you write, the more you refine your belief system. And when your beliefs are aligned, you’ll move faster, work smarter, and hit your goals harder than ever before.

Core Beliefs of Successful Writers

To wrap this up, here are some beliefs that every successful writer I know has mastered:

• Writing is never a waste of time

• Writing can and will change my life

• I can break any bad habit holding me back

• I can learn any skill I need to achieve my goals

• I can become a great writer with enough practice

• I can be as good as my heroes if I put in the work

• I can make a full-time, lucrative living through writing

• It’s possible for me to make money online if I keep at it

These aren’t the stupid slogans of dime-store self-help books.

They’re the tires, engine, and steering wheel of a belief system that will finally make it possible for you to achieve your goals.

If you feel like they’re out of reach, good.

That means you’re self aware.

Start where you are. Write about them. Challenge the whispers of doubt gnawing at the edges of your ambition. Push yourself past the boundaries you once thought were concrete walls.

Because here’s the truth:

Your beliefs determine your direction. Your actions determine your speed.

Align them, and there’s no longer room for excuses, sabotage, or surrender.

You’ll be unstoppable. Whether you like it or not.

Until next time,

-Taylin John Simmonds

PS. Some goodies about as good as Gordon Ramsey’s cheesecake:

⇢ How I built a $500K per year digital writing business (success philosophies and actionable tips to do the same)

⇢ A free 5 part video course on getting good at writing & content creation (as fast as possible)

⇢ A guide on making your big goals stupidly simple to achieve (The PAL framework)

Lastly, do you feel you’ve taken all the courses, know how to write, market, and sell but still aren’t sure how to turn writing into a lucrative career?

Then check out my ghostwriting coaching program: Growth Ghost 5.0