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13 Traits of an Alpha Writer · The Daily Writer

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hey my friend, welcome to The Daily Writer, where we help writers become authors of their own lives.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: In the last couple of decades, there has been a lot of talk about quote unquote alpha males.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the guys who are the leader of the pack, and they're the strong type that every non-alpha guy wants to become.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, we see this play out in real life all the time.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: And history is pretty clear that men with certain traits, such as confidence, charisma, and leadership, do tend to rise to the top.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Now, it's not universally true, of course, and success can take a lot of different forms.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I think we can make too much of this whole alpha male thing.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: But obviously, there's merit to this concept of alpha males, and it's a very interesting topic, which leads me to today's podcast.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: I have actually never heard anybody talk about what I would call alpha writers.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to take a stab at this concept and flush out a few ideas.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: I believe the core trait of an alpha writer is not dominance, as it is with quote-unquote alpha males, but the core trait of an alpha writer is leadership.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: And rather than giving you a lengthy audio essay about how this takes place or the nuances of all this, I'm just simply going to share 13 traits that I believe every alpha writer needs to have.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, an alpha writer takes responsibility for his or her success.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: They don't waste energy blaming others or tearing other people down.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, an alpha writer understands that they have an important and unique voice to add to the overall mix so they show up with confidence in who they are.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, an alpha writer embraces the idea that writers run the world.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Every idea, story, or concept that moves society forward comes from the mind of a writer in one way or another.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, an alpha writer knows that they are not an island and their success depends on other people reading, sharing, and supporting their work.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, they spend time and energy building lots of good relationships.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Number five, an alpha writer takes their health seriously because they know that good work requires stamina and energy.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Number six, an alpha writer understands that they're part of a broader community of writers.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, they do what they can to lift up other people who are doing similar work.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Number seven, an alpha writer knows that their author platform is not about elevating themselves, but ultimately it's about serving other people by teaching, inspiring, or entertaining.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: An alpha writer commits to writing and publishing at the highest level they are capable of.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: An alpha writer does not wait for permission from anybody to do what they've been called to do.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: And if their current way is blocked, then they will find another way forward.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Number ten, an alpha writer keeps their emotions reasonably in check and does not waste emotional energy on things that don't advance their writing or their business.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: An alpha writer plays the long game and they don't expect today's efforts to immediately translate into results for tomorrow.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: They know the value of long-term discipline, goals, and focus.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Number 12, an alpha writer is not afraid of constructive criticism.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, they embrace it because there is sometimes a nugget of truth contained in even the harshest of criticism.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: And number 13, an alpha writer creates their own definition of success and doesn't automatically live by success metrics that are promoted by other people.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I could certainly add 10 or 20 more items to this list, as you probably know, but I think this is a really good starting point.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Also, it's important to keep in mind that this is an aspirational list.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: I don't live up to all these ideals all the time, and you probably don't either.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's helpful to have goals that draw us upward and give us something to shoot for.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, at the end of the day, I think it's better to have a really high goal to shoot for than an uninspiring goal that you can hit really easily.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Now, maybe you've never thought of yourself as an alpha writer.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, I hadn't thought of myself as an alpha writer either until recently when this concept just popped into my head a couple of weeks ago.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: But I do think this idea is worth taking seriously.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because we need a lot more writers who not only take their craft seriously, but they take their responsibility to other people seriously.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I believe these 13 traits will help all of us live, work, write, and create better than ever.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, my friend, as always, thanks so much for listening.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: Keep writing, keep showing up, and I'll see you tomorrow.