Benefits & Example of a Mental Model

Taking a look at the Read, Write, Act, Connect & Grow Mental Model

In a previous article, I shared a mental model that I exercise in my own life to experience on-going personal growth. I call this mental model Read, Write, Act, Connect & Grow.

What Are Mental Models?

Mental models are how we understand the world. Not only do they shape what we think and how we understand but they shape the connections and opportunities that we see. Mental models are how we simplify complexity, why we consider some things more relevant than others, and how we reason.

A mental model is simply a representation of how something works. We cannot keep all of the details of the world in our brains, so we use models to simplify the complex into understandable and organizable chunks. Quoted from the Farnham Street Blog

In this article, I will demonstrate how I put my mental model of Read, Write, Act, Connect & Grow into practice.

Read

Earlier this year I came across the idea of the benefits of publishing my original content on Medium.

I began to consume content from the following sources

• JeffHerring.com & Tim Maudlin — Content Cash Creation Course
• Watching Videos answering basic questions by Zulie Rane
• Reading Authors on Medium such as Sergey Faldin and on Amazon
• Numerous additional articles on Medium that I didn’t keep track of to add here.

Write

Since learning of the benefits of publishing on Medium I began to create content. Admittedly I didn’t keep a daily rhythm of producing content when I first made this discovery. My excuse is that life and business, as usual, has taken too much time. I excused myself from writing for “lack of time”.

At the onset of restrictions related to COVID-19, it seemed to be the perfect time to begin writing and publishing. Yet I hesitated to create.

Finally, I decided that the biggest commitment I could make to myself is to be willing to write poorly.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not committing to write poorly on purpose. However, sometimes I am hesitant to publish what I write because I am overly critical of myself. Or, I avoid writing because I’m not confident in the content I am able to produce.

Action

From my reading, I saw the value of publishing on Medium for the creation of

• Residual income that will grow over time by engaging in visibility strategies
• Relationships with like-minded individuals who share their ideas
• Expanded opportunities for projects both inside and outside of the Medium platform
• Content for online courses with valuable feedback based on readership activities
• Writing skills that come with a daily practice of writing.

The only way I can benefit from any of the items on this list is to take action. I must research, write, edit and publish.

I am willing to write poorly to develop the skill of better writing.

The act of better writing will come from the practice of articulating the art or instruction that I am compelled to share with my community and beyond. I am willing to learn by being vulnerable and “getting in the arena” with other writers, educators, entertainers and artists.

I’m working to develop a set of practices that will keep me on track to take action to write and publish.

• Schedule time for researching and writing every day during the freshest part of my day.
• Keep track of topic ideas in a spreadsheet with links to docs that contain either research or drafts in progress. I find it useful to have more that one topic in the works at any given time.
• Keep a list of interests that I would like to create content for.
• Keep a list of courses for which curriculum needs to be developed.
• Schedule a time of day when I plan to publish on Medium — e.g. “I will have an article prepared to publish by 4 pm PDT daily.”
• Celebrate every new connection I make because I have created content

Connection

I am thankful for the connection that I have with JeffHerring.com and @Tim Maudlin (The Content Cash Creator Course). Tim introduced me to Dr Mehmet Yildiz and the publication community of Illumination.

I have also created a Facebook Group to share what I am learning about publishing on Medium with others in a variety of fields. I have created short videos discussing the following:

✅ Mindset — Why publish on Medium and what it has the potential to do for you and your business?

✅ Strategy — What is the potential high-level strategy and goal for publishing content on Medium?

✅ Basic Instructions for Getting Started — Crafting Your Bio, Planning Your Content, Growing Your Connections

Although I am also new to publishing on Medium, I have nearly 20 years of visibility training and experience. I have a solid understanding of how to create a systematic approach to creating visibility for a business, a product or an idea. 👩‍🎓 Consider me a “student guide” and let’s learn together!

My goal is to guide other creators and small business owners to take action and open new doors of opportunity by publishing on Medium. I am working to create a community of individuals who learn together and support each other.

Grow

Application of my mental model — Read, Write, Action, Connection — has caused me to grow personally and professionally.

I needed to be honest with myself as to why I wasn’t staying consistent with daily writing. I have all the time in the world as long as I schedule it. Honestly, I have been avoiding writing because of fear. Fear of both failure and success.

I love working models and systems. I appreciate a blueprint and checklist. For me, these tools are motivating and hold me accountable.

The set of practices listed above in Action is one demonstration of growth. Taking action and being willing to do the task imperfectly is important to the success of this mental model.

Let me share with you one of my communities of creators:

ILLUMINATION editors:

This is the list of our editors with Medium account names.

Dr Mehmet Yildiz, Dr Ron Pol, Mary Holden, Dr. David Martin, Paul Myers MBA, Todd Lankford, Gabrieknowseverything, Michael Ritoch, Chris Hedges, Jessica Alfaqih, Karen Madej, Misa Ferreira de Rezende, Blake Lazur, Joe Luca,Shin Jie Yong, Lilycelle Belarmino Ausa, Stella Fidem, Aurora E, Salvatore Cagliari, Will Murphy, Sylvia Love Johnson, Catherine Delia, Snezana Djuric, Aileen Shiue Belitz, Domagoj Vidovic, Tina Morlock, Francesca Brandani, Brenda Mahler, Madoc Maduka, Volo Vash, Shantanu Kulkarni,Lyndsay Landrey, Justin Swenson, Stephen Chapendama, Jill Ebstein, Eliel Cruz, Dipti Pande, Blair Fawcett, Ryan Roghaar, J.D. Harms,Kimi Ceridon (kceridon), Antonio Grasso, Salam Khan, Timothy Key

ILLUMINATION writers:

This is the list of our writers with Medium account names.

Amy Cottreau, Deborah Horton, Michael Ritoch, Anthony Chaine, Todd Lankford, Jennifer Rosater, Brian Lamacraft, Gabrieknowseverything,Jemas Whalen, Tom Byers, Steven Anthony, Chris Hedges, Alexander Cares,Chrissie Morris Brady, Desiree Driesenaar, René Junge, The Mindful Mamacita, Deana Woolf, Bill Abbate, Dawn-Renée Rice, Margie Peterson,Gurpreet Dhariwal, Garrett Elson, Alvin Ang, Matt Ray, Brenda Mahler, Paul Myers MBA, Corrine Roberts, T H Wong, Greg Lawlor, Nicole Linke, Aurora E, Karen Madej, Jessica Alfaqih, Stella Fidem, Julia Tsoi, Mike Alexander,Gregory A ☕️, Shin Jie Yong, Abraham T. Steel, Blake Lazur, Nita Jain,Sebastian Mueller, Snezana Djuric, Aileen Shiue Belitz, Salvatore Cagliari,Isak Dinesen, Joe Luca, Joi Lake, Charlotte VanDerLouis, Catherine Delia,Terry Mansfield, Sylvia Love Johnson, Erwin Lima, Gina Daniel,novalis,Amy Marley, Misa Ferreira de Rezende, Tim Maudlin, Will Murphy,Lilycelle Belarmino Ausa, Akos Peterbencze, Francesca Brandani, GFC: Grown Folk Conversations, Domagoj Vidovic, Dipti Pande, G.R. MELVIN,Tina Morlock,JJ Lim, BSc (Hons), Madoc Maduka, Andrew George, Julia E Hubbel,Impact Aisha, Dean Middleburgh, Markham J Moody, Jill Ebstein,Eliel Cruz, Mary Holden, Bridget Webber, The Wicked Orchard by Sidra Owens,Stephen Chapendama, Lyndsay Landrey, Nicole Dyer, Nicole Dyer,Justin Swenson, Dr. David Martin, Marcus Mehlmauer, Ryan Justin,Deborah Barchi, Jezebel, Renee Rose, Shantanu Kulkarni, Selma, Justin Swenson,Rodney Daut, Volo Vash, Jason Dookeran, Naomi Knight, Blair Fawcett,Pavane Ravel, Dr Ron Pol, Ahmed Jamal, Mesut Felat, Ryan Roghaar, Bre Bitz, Cee A. Davis, George J. Ziogas, Michael Brooks, Rasheed Hooda, Lanu Pitan, Antonio Grasso, Charlotte R Dixon, Lori Brown, R Tsambounieri Talarantas, Matthew Gliatto, Livia Dabs, Kathryn A. LeRoy,Caryn Leach-Smith, Clem Samson, Simran Kankas, Sinem Günel, Helen Boss, Mike Schoenhofer, Ksenia Sein, Arthur G. Hernandez, Max Klein, Kimi Ceridon (kceridon), Daniella Mini, Marlane Ainsworth, Chowa Sekai,Stephen Scott,Farrah Smith, Ananya Agarwal, Salam Khan, Simon Black,Brooke Morrigan, Indra Raj Pathak, Aliff Azhar, Joan Kent, PhD, Yvonne Palmer,Michele Thill, Pamela J. Nikodem, MS, Timothy Key, Melody Campbell,Trista Ainsworth, Mark Oehlert, iWrite!, Annelise Lords,Somsubhra Banerjee, Candy L Hill, Larry Nowicki, 🌲Andrea D’Angelo🌲,Brian E. Wish, M. W. McCabe, Jarrett Wilson, Claire Elaine, Paul Mulliner,Carlos Nunes, P.G. Barnett, İpeksu Durmaz, J.A. Taylor, Brian Abbey,KeepingItRealWithAnnick, Stacey Christiansen, Robert Nelson, Terri DelCampo-Nelson, Kerry Martin, Pasquale Langella, Wolfie Bain, Trapper Sherwood, Dr Rick Dobson, Henery X (long), Darcy Thiel, Emmanuel Prado, Spandrel, Ann K Frailey, Ashish Juneja, CJ Kowalski, John Cousins,Feather🕊tales, Shreya V, -vheretichermit, Gabriela Rosales,Roxanna Azimy, Christina Hoag. Jessica Cote, Emme Beckett, Nikita Vipul,Charles Roast, Eliot Kersgaard, Nivaaz, Lisa Wathen, Stephen Dalton, Dave Lee,Lynette Clements, Erin King, Harshita, Muhammad Zunair, Gena Vazquez,Kira Dawn, JimX, Gerald Gabel, Fiona Sommer, Holly Jahangiri,Holly Catherine, Layane Moura, Harley King, Julián F. Fernández, Julien Mauduit, Solvita Sofi, Steven Allison, Sherry McGuinn, Christine Graves,Emilio Ortiz, Kristen Abram, Drew Spangler aka Orlando Laser Lipo Services, Ugur Akinci, Agnes Louis, Dew Langrial