The two most important lessons I’ve learnt working in journalism and communications for the past 20 years are keeping things simple and being kind.

And that’s why I am so keen to present Three Stories as a simple framework to help you navigate the complexities and chaos of life.

If you feel stuck, overwhelmed or quietly at war with yourself – I hope what you read below will be as much of an eye-opener for you as it has been for me.

Andrew Horton, January 2026

It could have been any other Sunday. But it wasn’t. It was the day I somehow put the final piece into place of a very difficult and frustrating jigsaw puzzle.

I was in the kitchen, making myself a coffee, trying to avoid looking at the dishes piled up next to the sink. Not to mention the empty takeaway bags reminding me of my ‘lack of discipline’.

My two boys were sitting on the sofa, happily watching back-to-back episodes of Bluey.

My wife was trying to sleep off the effects of another crippling migraine.

And here was I, thinking this was as good a time as any to try and escape to my headphones, laptop and grey comfy chair. After all, as a parent of young children, these opportunities for ‘a break’ come around only once in a while.

I headed upstairs, just about stopping myself from tripping on a pile of hastily dispatched coats, scarves, and misplaced Lego.

It was Autumn 2024, and I knew the week ahead was likely to be stressful at work – my head and chest were feeling a little tight. There was a lot going on in my brain, and I felt conflicted.

As I sat down, I faced the usual internal accusations of ‘you can’t rest; you need to be doing something!’

What I really wanted was a bit of peace. But I felt like I was swirling in a vortex.

And this was a typical set of internal circumstances for me – the struggle to just make sense of it all – not just this indecisiveness about what I should or shouldn’t be doing this particular afternoon, but to make sense of my life: who I was, why things had happened to me or not happened, what on earth I was doing… and what I was doing on earth.

I’d studied psychology at school and briefly at university, and I’d read my fair share of self-help books. And while bits of almost every book were somewhat helpful, what I had learnt is that I didn’t want either a complicated system or a ‘quick fix’ feel-good mantra.

I needed something that actually worked – long term.

So here I am, sitting in my chair, trying to breathe a bit better and calm myself down.

And then I had a thought…

It wasn’t a dramatic ‘eureka’ moment. It wasn’t like seeing my lottery numbers come up. It was just like the gentle, understated click of a jigsaw completing – the full picture forming.

I realised that all the things in my life – the plans, the past, the pain, the challenges and the dreams – could be looked at through the lens of three different stories, and that there is a common enemy that fights against us all.

In a nutshell, the three stories are:

• The small things I can do now which I have control over (even if I can’t see any immediate benefit). I call these micro stories.

• More complex projects which take time and often require the help of others, or macro stories.

• The big, unchangeable facts of my life – the events of the past and the circumstances that have shaped my life. While I cannot change these, I can change how I respond to them – the meta stories.

And the common enemy:

• The swirl of thoughts, emotions and physical demands we experience that prevents us making long-term, meaningful progress in life and robs us of our peace. I call this the swirl.

This way of thinking is still changing the way I see all the chaos, stuff and mess of my life. And it’s bringing me some much sought after peace and progress in the things I really want or need to do.

This is how I came up with the idea of the three stories and the swirl we’re all up against.

It just made sense.

After decades of struggle with my mental health, uncertainties around identity and belonging, traumatic experiences, heavy disappointments, and desperately wrestling with questions of faith, I felt like I’d turned a significant corner.

I’d not found ‘the answer’ for a totally peaceful and stress-free life. No, because that just doesn’t exist – for anyone, whoever you are.

I’d found a really simple and helpful way to look at life – which, the more I reflect on and push into, just makes sense.

Here’s how it works:

Have you ever felt stuck – wanting to do something positive with your life but you’re not making progress as quickly or in the way you want or feel you need to? Or you know you need to change a destructive way of living, but you just feel stuck and go back to square one every time you try.

I hear you.

It’s miserable, right?

You’re fighting against a swirl of thoughts, emotions and physical demands, which are dragging you down into a vortex of inertia.

And as you flail your arms and kick and shout, you become even more stuck in this downward spiral - like you’re trapped in a spider’s web. This determined effort you make saps you of energy, and before you know it, the sun has gone down, the sky is dark, and you collapse into your bed – feeling defeated again.

A few hours later, the sun rises again. It’s a new day, and you go again.

Same result?

Another day of defeat against the swirl? Or maybe a better day that gives you hope – but you’re not entirely sure how or why?

OK, yes, I hear you.

What underpins the whole of the three stories concept is being aware of which story type we’re dealing with at any given moment and recognising the power of the swirl and how to overcome it.

So, if we have the awareness of what is against us and a new way to look at our lives, does it actually work?

Micro stories

In the 1990s, psychologists Dr Edwin Locke and Dr Gary Latham found that by setting and achieving small, specific goals, we increase our motivation and ability to tackle larger tasks. This focus helps us overcome the inertia of procrastination and self-doubt.

More recently, James Clear’s popular book Atomic Habits explains how we can systematically break down overwhelming challenges into small, manageable actions.

“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.”

- James Clear, Atomic Habits

So, think of micro stories as seeds. Individually, they may seem small or insignificant, but over time, they grow and strengthen, helping us face bigger challenges with confidence.

The swirl uses our past (meta stories) to make us feel like our micro stories are ‘pathetic’ or ‘silly’. Sometimes we think one small step forward won’t really achieve anything for us.

Not true.

But as a mighty oak tree begins as a small seed – an acorn, in the same way, every micro story is a building block toward progress and peace.

It’s hardwired into us.

Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that helps nerve cells communicate. It plays a big part in how we feel and what drives us to do things. Once we push past the initial hesitation that’s holding us back from a micro story, our brain gives us small bursts of dopamine as we make progress. This motivates us to keep going.

Studies on self-regulation and motivation suggest that achieving minor goals triggers dopamine responses in the brain, reinforcing positive behaviour and making future tasks feel more manageable (Kleinginna & Kleinginna, 1981).

It’s so easy to underestimate the value of micro stories. But notice how simple and mundane they appear at first and how profound and powerful they can become.

Here’s an example:

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt about dirty dishes, it’s that they need attention. Ignore them, and they’ll soon start to form ever more delicate structures on your kitchen surfaces.

In my late twenties, I lived alone in a one-room bedsit. I battled with what I can now identify as a swirl of thoughts, emotions and physical demands.

The dishes piled up. I used to sit for far too long alongside empty fast food packaging and ‘might-use-again’ cutlery.

The resistance was substantial.

I remember a friend of mine suggesting that I try to wash up only one plate or one mug, then stop. At first, I thought that sounded like a pathetic and silly idea. How would that solve the problem? I’d still have all the other washing up sitting there, not tackled.

But... this is where the magic of micro stories happens. By taking that first, small step of washing up one plate or mug, it then became harder to stop doing more than it was to go and sit down again.

The dopamine had kicked in.

Plates, mugs, bowls, and cutlery were flying into the sink and out onto the draining board. Before I knew it, the washing up was done, I felt much better, and crucially, I felt motivated to tackle the next thing… the rubbish bin!

So simple, right? It’s amazing how something so seemingly mundane can hold so much power – both the power to create resistance and also the power to release motivation.

By taking an attitude of humility to small actions (micro stories), it helps us not to become overwhelmed by our bigger problems, which are typically outside of our control.

The key is intention.

While some courage may be needed, these actions are small enough to accomplish easily but powerful enough to generate a sense of momentum.

As you start to embrace micro stories, you’ll likely notice a shift: larger, more complex goals become more manageable… and you’ll start to see the clouds of chaos withdrawing to reveal the sun shining behind.

“Behind the clouds is the sun still shining.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Rainy Day

A challenging work project may still require collaboration and effort, but your confidence will grow because of the smaller steps you’ve mastered. What once seemed impossible now isn’t so scary. Each micro story builds resilience, helping you tackle bigger challenges without feeling overwhelmed.

I realised that one way to tackle my resistance to going running was to put my running shoes on about an hour before I had planned to go out. And it works! Now I only need to open the front door and step out, which suddenly becomes strangely easier than taking off the running shoes and not going out at all.

Albert Bandura, together with fellow psychologist Robert Wood, showed that breaking larger tasks into small, achievable steps fosters confidence and endurance. This principle of progressive mastery provides a sense of accomplishment with each small step, maintaining motivation in the face of significant challenges.

This is where the beauty of micro stories lies. They’re small but mighty – a reminder that progress is possible, even in the face of significant challenges – however deep you are caught up in the swirl of life.

But this isn’t all there is.

Micro stories are just the kickstarters for bigger projects, goals and achievements. While they provide momentum, they sometimes reveal a need for a larger, more complex plan.

This is where we need macro stories.

Macro stories

With a BMI nearer the number of my age than is healthy, I’ve been trying to complete the NHS fitness programme Couch to 5K.

I have tried again and again but have not finished it… yet. The last time I tried, I was over halfway through it when I developed Achilles tendonitis because of the repetitive strain of running.

This is what happens when a very overweight man (aka me!) pounds the pavements with what turns out to be not very robust ankle muscles.

I decided I’d just sit it out until I recovered, to wish away the pain. After all, it sounded like a fairly good excuse for not having to put myself through the final hard weeks of the programme. Also, time is a healer, right?

But it just didn’t get better. Eight months later, and it was still painful. So I went to a physiotherapist who said my recovery could only happen if I work on improving the strength of my ‘kinetic chain’.

The kinetic chain is the joints, muscles, and nerves working together to produce movement.

When I run, as my foot hits the ground, it creates a force that travels up this chain, from my ankle to my knee, hip, and all the way up to my spine.

If one link isn’t working very well – in my case, the left Achilles tendon had become overloaded – then the force from running needs to be compensated in other links further up my body.

To remedy this, I needed to strengthen the larger muscles in my legs: the quadriceps and hamstrings.

This would reinforce the entire chain and reduce the burden on my Achilles.

When the physio recommended I join a gym, I was a bit fed up, but I kind of understood the logic.

At the gym I started to take small steps to strengthen my kinetic chain. And it worked; after a few weeks my Achilles pain started to go away. And after about three months it was gone.

It started with using micro stories to create momentum to break through a swirl that would prefer to ‘wish away the pain’ and not do what was actually needed to make a meaningful difference in my life – to recover from Achilles tendinitis.

Most days I did all I could to resist the gym, but with encouragement from my wife and a little hope that this was a good thing to do, I went.

Some days I would only stay ten minutes.

Sometimes I was there almost an hour.

I decided not to worry about how long I was there. Instead, my goal was to show up consistently.

What really helped was putting in a regular calendar entry into my work calendar (micro story) to indicate when I was going to go to the gym, getting my gym clothes and shoes ready the night before (micro story), walking each step of the treadmill, doing each leg press and pushing through each battle rope (all micro stories).

Finding healing for my Achilles is an example of a macro story because it was something that took multiple micro stories to build momentum and required the help of others (insight and expertise from my physio, encouragement from my wife, and accountability from my work colleagues).

Macro stories bring depth and meaning to our lives. They help us grow in ways we couldn’t alone.

Unlike micro stories, they don’t offer instant gratification, but they build long-term perseverance and the emotional capacity to handle life’s challenges.

They also connect us to others, helping us form relationships that enrich our lives.

But that’s not the full picture…

Meta stories

What I find interesting about many self-help books or lifestyle gurus is their tendency to focus on progress for progress’ sake, productivity over purpose, and short- or medium-term solutions that fail to consider our yearning for meaning and our desire for knowing what the point of life really is.

Permit me to generalise a little in order to illustrate a point:

The ‘solutions’ I read or listen to are typically constructed around an accumulation and combination of micro stories that you do to achieve the end goal of a macro story. For example, you want to lose weight because your doctor has advised you to for health reasons (macro story), so you take these 5-6 specific steps, such as cutting down on processed foods, exercising, etc. (micro stories) and then you either get there or you don’t.

The ever-present opposition to progress (the swirl) is usually carefully considered, and strategies are drawn up to combat it, but there’s still something missing, some wider context.

I believe this is where meta stories are best defined.

All of us have things about us that are out of our control – how and where we were born; the effects of traumatic or life-changing experiences we had no say in or means to prevent; and the events of the past that we cannot change, including mistakes we made or actions we failed to take.

Meta stories are life’s ‘givens’ – the circumstances and events that define us without our input. And they can hold huge power over us. For some they are overwhelming and life-sapping; for others they can be a source of undeserved privilege or even be seen as a superpower.

How we respond to our meta stories significantly influences our wellbeing and resilience. Often we are left with a choice: accept them and pursue a healthy mindset towards them, or at the other end of the spectrum, see them ultimately destroy us.

They remind us that we cannot control every aspect of life. We cannot change the past, and in most cases we cannot change the events or circumstances of the past that give us our identity today. Recognising this requires us to move from control to acceptance. When we embrace our meta stories, we free ourselves from the frustration of resisting the unchangeable, focusing instead on actions within our control and finding more peace in the process.

The key with our meta stories is how we view and respond to them.

Victor Frankl, who faced horrific personal suffering alongside many others during the holocaust of World War II, said:

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

Even though we can’t change the past, we can know how our meta stories shape our identity today – and acknowledge the role they play, and how they impact the small things (micro stories) and the bigger things (macro stories) in our lives.

Being aware of how meta stories are integral to our ambitions for making any sort of progress in life is helpful in itself. Awareness is so often underrated as a critical element of healthy wellbeing.

“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.”

Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

A key meta story for me is that I suffered an unexplained acute psychosis when I was at university, back in 1997.

To this day I do not know the reason why this happened to me, but it was a horrific experience and took many years to recover from. I still shudder at the trauma I faced, feeling like I’d ‘lost my mind’ and fighting to find my feet in the world again.

I carry the memories of that period in my life and I will continue to, but I am learning to accept it and find peace.

One of the side effects of the medication I was prescribed for the psychosis was putting on weight. And this has been a reason why I’ve been pursuing running and exercise, to counteract it. Getting fitter has therefore been an important macro story for me, which I have prioritised.

But as I face up to this rather daunting macro story, I know the meta story of why I am overweight is standing over me with its power of difficult emotions and memories. The meta story here is creating ‘emotional interference’, a common trait of the swirl.

I still want to win, to make progress with my macro story (getting fitter). I don’t want to give up because I fear the consequences: putting on more weight and increasing the risk of serious health conditions such as diabetes, feeling miserable, dying younger than I would like to, and not being able to play games with my children and see them grow up, etc.

So I’m focusing hard on completing the micro stories I need to to make progress in this macro story. I’m putting my gym clothes out the night before; I’m showing up at the gym to make consistent progress, even if I only do a small bit at a time.

And crucially, because I am aware of and can identify the characteristics of each of the three stories and the swirl which tries to fight against me, I can focus harder on each micro story to build momentum and make progress.

My focus on each micro story, each individual step on the treadmill, is sharper than ever, because I am not distracted by the complexity and multi-facetedness of the macro story (getting fitter), and neither am I distracted by the emotions and memories of what’s led me to need to do this exercise in the first place (the meta story of the acute psychosis).

The swirl thrives on confusion and chaos, but it loses its power the moment we start to name our experiences – sorting the chaos of our life into micro, macro, and meta stories.

We can now breathe better!

We stop flailing in the vortex and start moving forward, making the progress we want or need to see.

The three stories framework is not a series of separate boxes. It’s an interconnected ecosystem.

Our meta stories provide the ‘why’ and the context of our lives, while macro stories give us a meaningful direction to travel.

Micro stories then act as the seeds, providing the momentum and dopamine we need to keep going.

This way of thinking balances active effort with quiet acceptance. We use small, courageous, heroic actions to fight inertia, but we use humility to handle the things we cannot change.

I used to find that I could never really hold onto any sort of focus on micro stories because of the swirl of stuff that came with the associated macro story and overarching meta story.

But now I know my enemy, and I understand how the three stories interrelate; it’s so much easier and freeing.

And with freedom comes peace.

“In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.”

Albert Camus

“If I had an hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it.” Albert Einstein

hi there! (sheepishly)

I’m aware it’s been a while since I substacked. But I have been busy…. not as busy as I’d like to be on Three Stories, but with life generally.

Do you want the good news or the bad news?

Well, the good news is that I’m still working on Three Stories and I have a few updates which I’ll share below.

The bad news is… umm, not much bad news thankfully, just that it’s been very wet and grey here in Sheffield, UK. And I get SAD, so that’s a pain.

Subscribe now

Right, so an update on where I’m at with Three Stories:

• I’ve come to realise that the ambition of writing a full-length book (circa 50,000 words) is not really manageable at the moment. I have a very full on job; two young boys who are amazing, but understandably need my time and attention; and my wife continues to struggle with debilitating migraines, which are awful for her and have consequences in terms of my time and headspace to write. I’m not ruling out a more substantial piece of work, but for now I’m not chasing that.

• I’ve considered a podcast, an essay, a TedX talk, or a video as a way to share my thesis, but again I’ve not yet had the time and headspace (and to some extent the funds) to get any of these over the line yet.

• I have been through the valley of doubt a fair bit over the past few months, but I do think I have ‘something’ here that I think could be very helpful for people stuck in a swirl of thoughts, emotions and needs. I’m not letting that go. I’m trying to restrategise a way to share what I’ve got in an accessible and not-too-expensive way.

• My relationship with AI tools has changed somewhat. Currently, I’m doing all I can to avoid Gemini or ChatGPT from being ‘too nice’ about my work. I’ve also set a hard rule that NO AI-generated sentences will be included in any of my published work. Yes to AI help with thinking support/brainstorming/basic researching. No to writing or confirming sources etc.

• I’m no longer actively on the hunt for a literary agent, but I do want to identify a mentor or someone who can soundboard with me/ask the hard questions and the ‘so what?’ question. Let me know if you can think of anyone!

• I’m reworking the structure of Three Stories, to create a more accessible structure. The three stories remain: micro, macro and meta. But I am positioning the concept of ‘swirl’ as the main protagonist in all this. And looking more closely at the significance of ‘defining the problem’. Watch this space!

• My faith in Jesus is helping me to be realistic, to find peace and guidance in my efforts, and to not beat myself up too much at a lack of progress. I’m grateful for this quiet encouragement.

OK, that’s it for now!

Peace to you.

Andrew.

Having worked as a newsroom journalist, I’ve seen firsthand the ins and outs of how news is found, reported on and evaluated.

When you’re in the mix of it all, it’s a totally exhausting job and you don’t really have the headspace for reflection. So, several years later I’m now processing it a bit more and also seeing how the news landscape has changed so much, even in the past five years (Substack-ing as a primary news channel, being a case in point!).

So here are a few thoughts on where I’ve landed with it all – including my thoughts on impartiality, agenda-setting and what makes something newsworthy.

It bugs me when I hear news outlets holding fast to the virtuous claim of impartiality. Yes, it’s possible to have processes and systems in place to make your news fairer, more accurate, more representative etc, but no news outlet is truly impartial.

A story can be reported with the best intentions to be impartial, but take a step back and you’ll see that a decision was made before the story was reported to choose to report that story. It’s not rocket science, I know, but it’s a factor that needs highlighting.

Many of the world’s biggest and most respected news organisations, from the BBC (where I did a stint many years ago) to Reuters and Al Jazeera, are built on this principle. They don't just claim to be impartial; their whole reputation depends on it.

Thankfully, they set out to undertake a rigorous method of fact checking, presenting multiple viewpoints, providing context, and separating factual reporting from opinion.

But even with the best of intentions, this ideal has a fundamental weakness: story selection.

What stories should make the news?

Here’s an example story selection and agenda setting as highlighted by a report from the communications agency Jersey Road.

Over a 12-month period, The Christianity in the News Media 2025 report looked at more than 5,000 stories about Christianity from the UK's most widely accessed online media outlets. They found a disproportionate focus on the Catholic Church, which is referenced in more than 1,200 (24%) stories. This is in contrast to the fast-growing Pentecostal church barely receiving a mention - despite now representing 10 per cent of church attendance in the UK.

CEO Gareth Russell writes:

‘There is a disparity between how faith is presented in online media and what is happening on the ground: that the Catholic Church is disproportionately featured, that the persecuted Church is underreported and that Pentecostal voices are lacking.

‘Our view is that profile and humility are not competing objectives. The opposite of profile is not humility, but rather irrelevance. The world’s most important conversations need voices of humility rather than those who want the platform.’

The act of choosing to cover one story and ignore another is a form of bias. By deciding what we think about, journalists and editors shape our perception of reality before a single word of a report is even written.

I describe it like this:

News is a self-feeding, cyclical process: News outlets imply that something is important and then audiences infer that it is important because it's ‘in the news’; then news outlets infer that audiences want that news content (due to the consumption metrics) so they imply that this news content is important and so produce more of it.

I asked Google Gemini AI to expand on this concept and it helpfully obliged:

It’s a cycle that runs continuously, and it works exactly like this:

1. The Spark: A news outlet highlights a story. Let's say it's a minor political scandal.

2. The Signal: You, the audience, see the story featured prominently. You naturally infer that it must be important.

3. The Click: You click the article or watch the video. This is the crucial modern step. Your engagement is instantly measured.

4. The Data: The news outlet's systems register this engagement. The data tells them: "The audience wants this."

5. The Reaction: To capture this demand, the outlet commissions more on the topic – follow-up reports, opinion pieces, "what this means" explainers.

And just like that, the loop is complete and begins again. The renewed coverage reinforces the story's importance, generating more clicks, which in turn justifies even more coverage. A minor scandal has now become the dominant story of the week, not because it was the most important thing happening in the world, but because it was the most engaging. This self-feeding beast runs on clicks and views, and it has profound consequences for all of us.

(Google Gemini, 3 August 2025)

So here we are. A clear shift from what is important to what is engaging.

This system takes the initial problem of story selection and puts it on autopilot, driving it towards sensationalism. This means that pursuing genuine impartiality – which demands covering important stories even when they are not popular – becomes even more difficult.

So what do we do? How do we respond well?

The first step is awareness. I’m grateful that Jersey Road has raised awareness of the skewed news agendas around Christianity and the church. But there’s still much work to do to turn this around.

I’m a churchgoer and have been all my life. In almost every church I’ve attended, the prayers section has referenced ‘some of the things we’ve seen in the news this week’.

So, essentially, our editors and journalists are driving our churches’ prayer agendas. But what about ‘xxx transformational story in the Pentecostal church’ or ‘the xxx number of brutal murders of Christian believers in xxx country this week’. OK, these may not be stories that would be of particular relevance or interest to a non-Churchgoing audience, but they are still happening and achieving less prominent coverage in mainstream news outlets.

Yes, the news landscape is changing at a rate of knots, but that doesn’t stop us changing our relationship with the news.

We can start to ask not just "is this story true?" but "why am I being told this story now?" and, perhaps most importantly, "what am I not being told?”

________

I know this article isn’t about my book project Three Stories. That’s still in process and going well. I’ll be back with an important update on that soon!

I LOVE it when I get encouragement from somebody about my book. But when someone points out a flaw AND suggests a solid way forward, I appreciate it just as much.

And so it happened.

A brave and trusted friend of mine had been chewing through a recent substack about Three Stories and felt that something wasn’t quite right.

When I first came up with the idea for the Three Stories framework, the term ‘Master Stories’ felt right. I’d been back and forth a bit, trying to find the right word, and I thought this was it.

It evoked a sense of overarching influence, a foundational narrative dictating significant parts of our lives. These are the ‘givens’ – the circumstances, events, and inherent traits we don't choose but shape us. From things like the circumstances of our birth and our family dynamics to life mistakes we’ve made or major health challenges, these elements are undeniable forces.

I’ve always had in mind from the very beginning of writing this book that accessibility and inclusivity are crucial. And now I think ‘Master stories’ feels off. It’s not within the compassionate and empowering tone I want to convey.

The concern

The word ‘master’ carries a complex history, and in certain contexts, it can be associated with hierarchical power structures, control, and even historical injustices like slavery.

While my initial reasoning was related to mastery in the sense of an overarching narrative, the potential for unintended connotations is now clear. Thank you, brave friend!

Language is powerful, and it's crucial that the words we choose genuinely serve to clarify and empower, rather than create barriers or evoke discomfort for readers.

Hello ‘Meta stories’

It was suggested to me that I should replace ‘Master’ with ‘Meta’. And on reflection, this feels right, really right. Initially I was cautious of the associations with a certain Facebook and Instagram parent company, but I don’t think this will be a blocker.

Why ‘Meta’?

"Meta" literally means ‘beyond’ or ‘about.’ This perfectly captures the essence of these types of stories: they are the overarching narratives beyond our direct control, the foundational elements about which our lives are built.

It suggests a higher-level perspective, a comprehensive view that encompasses these unchangeable aspects of our existence.

It is to be noted that the shift to ‘Meta stories’ doesn’t change the core meaning – that these are the parts of our lives we must learn to acknowledge and accept to find peace and clarity^.

It still represents those aspects that define us without our input, but does so with language that is more universally welcoming and less open to misinterpretation.

Not reinventing the wheel

This change is a refinement, not a reinvention. Three Stories is still progressing as a book and a way of reframing life’s challenges. And I’m listening to feedback, which I think is a good thing.

So here we go, the three stories:

• Micro stories: The immediate actions you can control to build momentum.

• Macro stories: The complex, ongoing projects requiring time and collaboration.

• Meta stories: The ‘givens’ you learn to accept for inner peace.

I hope that all makes sense!

Love

Andrew

A key theme that’s emerging as I write my book, Three Stories, is the importance of context.

When I was going through multiple and significant mental health challenges as a teenager, I wish I had had the context that I have today.

My heart pulls in the direction of any young person who finds themselves facing similar challenges to what I faced growing up.

And as you’ve probably heard, we’re living in an epidemic of mental health crises for young people – driven in large part by the circumstances of the Covid pandemic.

I’ve mostly come out the other side of my mental health challenges.

But I recall years of being stuck in a downward spiral of gloom; exhausted by the demands of life, and confused by the swirl of emotions, thoughts and physical demands on my life.

There was worse stuff as well, but I’m not going there right now.

So here I am, writing Three Stories to help offer some much-needed context – a simple framework for people to navigate the complexities and chaos of life.

The framework is simple; it has to be.

Simplicity makes it memorable; simplicity makes it accessible.

These are the three stories:

Micro stories – The small things we can do right now, that may seem insignificant in and of themselves, but the very act of doing them often leads to great things.

Macro stories – The more complex projects which take time and often require the help of other people.

Master stories – What we have to accept (things that have happened to us, mistakes we’ve made, the unchanging realities of our lives), and how we can live meaningfully in light of them.

Each of these three stories plays a different role in our lives, and each one holds valuable insights that can guide us, especially through darker and murkier times.

By realising how they all fit together into the tapestry of our lives, we can begin to understand ourselves better and find clarity and peace amid the chaos of life.

You can look at the Three Stories framework as a simple way to break down life’s events and choices into manageable parts, helping you understand where to focus your energy, when to let go, and how to keep moving forward.

Disclaimer: Before I tell this story, I want to add a disclaimer: I know my mum, mother-in-law and wife will be reading this. And I know I am not there yet with doing chores, but I’m going in the right direction. Please be gracious! 🙂

I’ve always wondered why I hated doing chores as a teenager. They were annoying, they got in the way of the adventures of life I wanted to pursue. I would go as far as to say they were intensely painful. Cleaning my room felt oppressive. Washing up felt like a punishment.

I don’t think I was intrinsically lazy – I just couldn’t see the point. Especially when life already felt overwhelming and confusing.

Now in my mid-forties, I’ll admit, I’m still not someone who typically rushes to do chores. They are still a battle, and most days I wish they would magically disappear.

But I’ve learnt that as well as being essential and non-negotiable – chores aren’t just about cleaning your room. They’re about calming your chaos. They can literally be a way to save your life. They build momentum and a sense of agency when things feel out of control.

As you may know, I’m working on a book. It’s called Three Stories. And it’s a framework that has helped me reframe so much of my life. It’s building my hope. I also think it might help others. And in this Substack I’m writing what I would have found so helpful as a teenager and twenty-something who felt overwhelmed and stuck when it came to chores.

A quick recap:

Three Stories is a simple framework to help you find clarity amid the chaos of life. It’s made up of micro stories, macro stories, and master stories.

Micro stories: small acts, big shifts

Micro stories are the small, everyday actions we take to move forward. They don’t change the world by themselves. They don’t heal our deepest wounds. But they create traction.

That’s what chores are. Not glamorous. Not transformative in themselves. But they do something. They remind you: “I can make a difference in my world, even if just by taking a small step forward”

Making your bed. Loading the dishwasher. Tidying your room. They’re not arbitrary. They’re acts of quiet defiance against the seemingly endless swirl of emotions, thoughts and physical demands on our lives.

Macro stories: chores in context

Macro stories, are the more complex projects which take time and often require the help of other people. Typically, macro stories centre around your work, family or friendships. These might include moving house, taking on a school or work project, getting fit and healthy, or any major life goals.

If you live in a family or shared household or community, chores are not just about you; they’re about pulling your weight in a shared, collaborative story.

I’ve also lived on my own for many years, which, as an extravert, I found very challenging. When you live on your own, chores can seem pointless – no one else sees the mess, no one’s there to care. But that’s exactly why they matter.

Doing the washing up or the hoovering becomes an act of self-leadership. It’s how you remind yourself that you are of immense value. These habits aren’t just about keeping your flat tidy – they’re about identity, integrity, and building a life with stability and intention.

They’re acts of preparation and participation. Quiet declarations that you’re still here, still building, still becoming.

Master stories: when life feels unfair

Master stories are the things we can’t change – such as the circumstances we were born into, the things that have happened to us, or the mistakes or good fortune we have had. Recognising and accepting these aspects can be freeing. Instead of resisting them, it is possible – and healthy – to learn to embrace them.

There are seasons when life feels unjust or unchangeable. When you’re carrying things you never asked for – grief, anxiety, trauma, loneliness. Perhaps you’re living in the regret and consequences of a bad decision.

So what can you do? Firstly, recognise this ‘’thing’—this master story – for what it is. It needs to be accepted – as hard as that can be to do in practice. Then take a single step in the right direction. A small action that reminds you: “I’m still here. I’m not powerless.”

Doing a small, simple, seemingly insignificant, boring and even painful chore, can be a fragile thread back to the present. A way of saying, “I still exist. I can still do something.”

This is survival. This chore could end up saving your life.

The bigger story

It’s not because the plates matter, but because you matter.

It’s not because the house is untidy, but because you crave peace of mind.

Choosing to act – even in something small – is an act of hope.

The Three Stories framework helps us to see that little things aren't meaningless. That we belong to wider stories. And that we’re not stuck – even if it feels like we are.

Don’t do everything; do one thing.

Take the bin out and start a quiet revolution.

It was March 2017, and famine had been declared in parts of the country only weeks beforehand.

People were literally starving – eating leaves to survive.

I was there to gather stories for a fundraising appeal. It was hot, dry and desperate.

After I had shared some verses from scripture, I asked the group what they would like us to pray for.

I was 100 per cent expecting them to ask for prayer for people to have food.

But they all said what they needed most was peace. ‘Peace first, and then food will come,’ they proclaimed.

Peace first.

That took me off guard.

But when I thought about it, it made sense.

So many things can rob us of peace, and peace can give us so many things.

When you have a busy brain like I do, you crave peace most days, most hours.

I’ve got some fairly significant assessments coming up in relation to my busy brain. I’ll let you know what happens as and when!

I’m very aware that peace in the midst of a conflict in South Sudan looks very different from the sort of peace of mind I long for.

But what I’ve found helpful is to look at my life through the framework of three stories.

In fact, you may be aware that I’m writing a book called Three Stories – A simple guide to finding clarity in the chaos of life. It’s fairly early days, but it’s encouraging.

The core concept categorises life's challenges into three types: micro stories, which are small, immediate actions offering a sense of control; macro stories, representing complex, long-term goals requiring collaboration and patience; and master stories, the uncontrollable circumstances that necessitate acceptance.

As I write, I've been wrestling with big questions about control, collaboration and acceptance. All this while juggling some fairly hefty life and work challenges.

But ultimately it’s bringing me a greater sense of peace. And my aching hope is that it’ll help other people who are battling the chaos of life, feeling stuck or desperate to make progress, to find that life-giving peace as well.

Peace leads to so much open space, so much plenty and so much joy. My prayer is for peace.

I’d love you to join me on this journey.

I’ll be sharing more here on my Substack and on LinkedIn. A podcast is also being planned…

Hello! You may be wondering why you’re reading this. Well, I’m grateful that you signed up for my Substack a while ago when it was called Digital Wisdom. It’s got a new lease of life now and morphed into Three Stories. The writing will be just as good… but the topic will be a bit different – I would say better! Thanks for reading. :)

I’ve been preparing this edition of Digital Wisdom for quite a while… perhaps you’ve been waiting, wondering where I’ve got to? Perhaps not. But still, this is a particularly exciting one.

I decided to explore the question of ‘Why do some people find social media a real slog for their small business or charity?’ From some previous experiences, I can certainly empathise.

A friend and former colleague of mine, Jasmine Warren, works at the charity Tearfund. She’s their Social Media Manager, and is brilliant. She agreed to chat.

In our conversation, we covered:

• Not worrying about trying to make every post go viral.

• Why you should think ‘people first, metrics second’.

• A great analogy about 50 people in a room.

• Mental health and why social media managers need a break sometimes.

• Looking at the big picture of what you’re doing and why.

I’m planning to release the full audio conversation as a podcast soon… watch this space. But for now, here’s a snapshot that I hope you find encouraging.

Jasmine, why is social media sometimes a real slog?

I think it’s the all consuming nature of it. You can never finish reading your social media feeds. You used to be able to use to get to the end, and you'd feel like I've seen everything. But it just never stops.

So I really resonate with anyone that finds social media all consuming and quite overwhelming at times. Some people advise that ‘you've got to keep posting and to beat the algorithm, you have to post a certain number of times.’

But, however brilliant your content is, it's not going to go viral every post – even if it all has viral potential and all the ingredients for success, because that's just not how social media platforms are built.

And I think there's the need for getting perspective around that. There's a space to take a step back and think about what's actually important – taking a break from the screen and thinking about what will happen if you don't post today? Well, you might not get the reach you were going to get but you can always build it up again.

It’s important for people to prioritise their wellbeing as well. So having shared spaces, where you can talk to people about tips and share best practice and things like this, I think is really helpful.’

But what do you do when on the surface the numbers are disappointing?

‘As the person who owns your social content, you have a lot of knowledge about your channels and your audience,’ says Jasmine. ‘There are a lot of things that the numbers don't tell you, so I always think it's really helpful to add some kind of commentary or explanation when reporting to other people in the organisation.’

Watch Jasmine explaining a great analogy I’m going to call 50 people in a room:

So would you say social media is a long game as well as a short game?

‘Yes, that's the frustrating but great thing of it. Like starting a page from scratch, it's hard. And I know that feeling of building up when you have one follower, and it's yourself! And that's really daunting.

‘So there is that need for consistency, if you're building an audience that's quite small, or if you're trying to reach your niche.

‘But I think there's also the element of jumping on a trend. We find our most engaged with posts are always reacting to something in the news, or something that we've seen that's trending, which can be frustrating, because you can't predict that. But it's also quite exciting, because you don't know what's going to happen.

‘I think there's a balance of consistency and creativity when it comes to building and maintaining your presence. I think you want to be consistent. And yeah, if possible, you can have a regular posting schedule. And that's great. But you also want to be creative, responding to trends, new formats, the ways that different social media platforms are moving.

‘But be careful. You don't want to be so creative, that everything you post is completely different to the last thing you did. And you don't want to be so consistent that it all looks identical.’

For someone who is finding social media a real slog or overwhelming what would you say to encourage them?

‘I love social media, but there are some days where I don't like social media, and it can feel really hard. So be encouraged knowing that you're not alone. And that it’s a shared feeling.

‘I think it's really important to take a break and take a step back. And like I was saying the metrics and the numbers have really helped me but they definitely didn't tell you the whole picture. Sometimes if you just look at the numbers, it can be really disheartening, because they're never going to be consistent, and they're not going to go up every single time – there'll be some ups and downs. And that's how it works.

‘But if you can think about it in terms of people, sometimes if your video has nine views, well, that's nine people sitting and watching it. And that's really great. I think it's time to think about the people who are behind the screens looking at your content. And perhaps that one person of those nine views might be the person that gave £1000 or £10,000. So don’t fixate yourself on the hard metrics but look at the wider story.’

Thank you Jasmine. Check out Tearfund on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and elsewhere…

What do you think? Some good wisdom there, I think. Perhaps you know someone who could do with that encouragement today. Do pass this on. And look out for the full podcast.

Until next time, take care,

Andrew.

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It’s been a while since I’ve shared here on Digital Wisdom. There are several reasons, but the biggest being I’ve just been super-tired and life has been full on with my day job, family and health issues. I’m hoping to be back more regularly soon. Thanks for sticking around!

Now to what I wanted to share…

Two high-profile Christian communicators Glen Scrivener and Pete Greig have recently been victims of cyber attacks. Glen tweeted (22 April) that his Facebook page was hacked and he lost access to it, despite appealing. And Pete's Instagram (including 40,000 followers) was hacked and lost yesterday (2 May), he reports.

I hope this isn't too much of a set back for them, as I really value their insights and encouragement. It must have been so frustrating and annoying for them.

This piece of content marketing from McAfee is quite helpful for taking steps to secure our social media accounts.

I hope it’s helpful for you today.

Thanks

Andrew.

PS. How are you? I’ve missed you. Drop me a line here or on LinkedIn to say hi!

In fact, I read a lot. But most of my reading is just skimming bits here and there – homepage headlines, social posts, sections of articles. 

We are living in a world of distraction. And many of us crave both fewer and better choices. I know I do.

So, what keeps us reading? And what are some key takeaways for copywriters and content creators?

Here are four factors that do keep me reading:

1. Attraction

2. Intrigue 

3. Emotional investment

4. Resolution

Attraction

It is said ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, but in reality it is often a dealbreaker. 

‘Although first impressions are notoriously prone to error, we just can’t stop ourselves from making them’, says psychologist Dr David Ludden in Psychology Today.

If there was never an attraction to a book or article in the first place, then it’s likely my attitude towards it is a bit cautious and my appetite low. Should I put my hope in this? 

By attraction I mean the design (layout, fonts, paragraph styles etc), the copy (particularly headline and opening line/s to begin with, but also throughout).

These are elements that will start to build good foundations in my relationship with the content. 

If my first impressions haven’t been good, I’ll remember this. It’ll niggle at me. I probably won’t really have the desire to complete it, and am more likely to not forgive and accept things I don’t like about it as I progress through – even if it’s been recommended to me.

Key takeaways for content creators

1. Your book or article’s main body copy may have Pulitzer Prize winning potential, but if the design, title and cover copy doesn’t attract, you can go home and try again. Get the first impressions right and your work will be judged favourably.

2. When a reader starts well with your book or article it’s more likely they’ll be forgiving and keep going in any weaker parts as it progresses. So listen up writers! We need to start well and build strong foundations. Once your reader’s gone, they most likely won’t ever come back.

If my first impressions haven’t been good, I’ll remember this. It’ll niggle at me.

Intrigue

Next, the narrative needs to set up a sense of intrigue for me. It needs to form questions in my mind which I feel I need to resolve. Even glimpses of sub-plots or tiny character details which have some glistening detail can do this. Primarily a good narrative arc should set up a compelling level of interest and intrigue. I don’t want to let go. I want to know what happens next!

‘It’s the way we’re wired’, says Heather R Morgan, founder of SalesFolk. ‘No matter how many times we’re exposed to cliffhangers, we can’t seem to get over wanting to know what happens next.’

Key takeaways for content creators

1. Don’t show your hand too early. Remember, your reader has chosen to invest time (and perhaps money) in your book or article, so make sure you keep them with you not just for your nice, attractive opening, but for the long haul.

2. Actively work to build intrigue. You know how the story ends, but your reader doesn’t. Try and put yourself in their shoes and perceive how they are going to be assimilating your narrative arcs.

Emotional investment 

If I’ve been drawn into the narrative and immersed into the content, it’s more than likely I’m emotionally invested in it. I care. A sense of warmth is developing.

I’m choosing to read it in place of something else I could be doing. I also don’t want it to let me down. So that makes me vulnerable. I’ve not read any of the Harry Potter books, but I’ve seen how emotionally invested readers are in them.

When the seventh and final part of the Harry Potter series of books was released in July 2007, 16-year-old fan, William Bishop, told Reuters that it would be ‘like losing part of my childhood’.

Writing in Teen Vogue, Justine McGrath notes: ‘Harry Potter means so many things to so many different people, but everyone experiences a similar emotional journey when they read the series. You’ll smile, you’ll learn, you’ll laugh, and you’ll cry; but no matter what, you’ll never forget the time you lovingly spent catching up with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the rest of the treasured characters that not only drive the story, but become a part of your story, too.’

Key takeaways for content creators

1. Don’t underestimate the power and necessity of emotionally connecting with your readers. Your copy may be beautifully written and 100 per cent grammar perfect, but if it doesn’t tug on the heart strings, move someone or improve someone’s day, then try again.

2. Try and consider: what is at the heart of what you’re trying to write, and how can you share that heart with your readers? A favourite quote of mine is ‘Words move hearts and hearts move limbs.’ (Hamza Yusuf). Make your words move hearts.

What is at the heart of what you’re trying to write, and how can you share that heart with your readers?

Resolution

Finally, to help soothe a sense of vulnerability I need resolution. I crave it! I hope I’m not left hanging or disappointed, and need to find out what happens – how the narrative tension is resolved. Where my intrigue leads me to.

And even if I am left feeling disappointed, I’ve got so far now that I need to finish and find some sense of personal satisfaction and resolution.

I think there’s a tipping point for me with an article or a book. That point when I will either plough on to get that sense of achievement, or that point when I’m sucked into an enticing narrative and I just can’t stop.

Ultimately I want what I’ve just finished reading to be simultaneously a building block and a spring board. A building block to add to my personal knowledge base and bank of wisdom etc. And a spring board to the next book or article which keeps me growing and winning at life. 👍

Key takeaways for content creators

1. Don’t scrimp on the end of your book or article. Don’t flag in your efforts. Keep strong. Your reader has got this far, don’t give them a damp dishcloth now. Reward them with some carefully-crafted, sensitively written resolution – whatever genre you’re writing in.

2. Point people onwards and upwards on their journey. For a website article, the tried and tested method is ‘You may also like…’. But, what should really be the basis for creating that spring board is how well you’ve incorporated attraction, intrigue, emotional connection and resolution into what you’ve produced for your readers.

OK, if you’ve read this far, thank you!

Let me know what you think.

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Until next time, ciao!

Andrew

Our rather nervous looking taxi driver pulled up next to the entrance. He knew the ‘community chairman’ of the Maasai Market. It was one of Nairobi’s ‘places to visit’, so we’d been told.

Tom and I had just been travelling in South Sudan, capturing stories for an international NGO as famine had just officially been declared in parts of the country. It was March 2017.

From scarcity to abundance – the market was full of what I can best describe as rural arts and crafts. Before I knew it an arm rested over my shoulders. The chairman offered to show me around and be my guide. ‘Sure!’, I puffed anxiously.

As we walked around it became more tense with every step. I just wasn’t sure what I wanted, what anyone I knew would like, and how long the chairman and now also his chums would be following me around.

It didn’t feel right to say ‘leave me alone, and let me look around’, so I just tried to go along with the experience.  

I picked up a wooden bowl and looked at it. I clearly wasn’t sure… I mean it was nice, but by this point I noticed something both alarming and confusing: nothing had a price tag. Nothing in the whole market had a price tag.

I asked how much this was, to be told not to worry and if you like it we can sort out a price at the end…

The tension rose.

I felt like I was the only person shopping and everyone’s attention was on me. I had no idea where Tom was. He was there, but my vision had become very limited.

A black carrier bag appeared. ‘Let’s put it in your maybe bag’, the chairman reassured me.

15 minutes later or so, my maybe bag had three items in it and I was ready to sheepishly pay. I was taken to a claustrophobically sheltered area of the market and after the chairman had totted it all up, I didn’t expect to hear the words ‘that’ll be 330 dollars’. I mean the items I’d selected were nice and seemed decent quality, but what? Wait? How much?!

I said I didn’t have that much, and that I’d just take the rolled up canvas painting, if that was OK?

The tension was super high now, over and above my comfort levels. I only really wanted to get a quick souvenir or two for my family back home in the UK. Now I was just hoping to get out of the market in one piece.

It all ended up fine, really. We agreed on 30 dollars for the painting only and he smiled as we left.

But looking back, even all this time ago, it was such an extraordinary experience in marketing and sales that I decided to – rather cathartically – draw some learnings from it here.

Here are some good and bad things I think we can learn from this:

Don’t be creepy

The first impressions people have of the products or services you offer are so important. That’s why I hate pop-up ads which catch you cold with their very direct copy, or chat bots which appear so friendly when you’ve only interacted with a website for a few seconds. It’s like a chairman’s arm suddenly around your shoulders making your experience suddenly more intense.

So if you are going to use pop-up ads (but I’m not sure I think you should) make sure they are sensitive to where your majority of website visitors are at. If you’re going to pop-up with something, do what you can to make it be clearly highly valuable and inoffensive. Or don’t bother. 

As for chat-bots, consider the context too. I think chat-bots work best on places like banking, insurance and tech support sites. Stick one on a run of the mill corporate website or an e-commerce site and I’m not so sure.

Help your customers feel good and they’re likely to stick with you

Yes, I only had a small budget in the market, and yes the whole process was rather uncomfortable. But people who have a service to sell have a living to make. There often needs to be some degree of pressure and uncomfortableness to help customers down the funnel. That’s expected and I don’t begrudge the chairman for his methods, despite not liking them.

But because I didn’t like the methods, it means I’m not likely to be a return visitor. I don’t want to go through that again. And as many businesses today rely on an MRR (monthly recurring revenue), creating brand affinity is so important – or we go elsewhere.

I’m clearly not a big advocate of the Maasai Market. I’m not going to tell all my friends and family to go there – even if they do want souvenirs of their visit.

So if you are selling a product or service online, consider how the customer is likely to feel at every touchpoint they have with you. Are you clear in your offering? Are you transparent with prices and the direct benefits your product or service will have for them? Do you have excellent customer service and fast query response times? Is it a good experience?

If so, they're more likely to become advocates for your brand and do a good amount of free marketing for you by recommending you to others.

If you give your customers a ‘maybe bag’, let them hold it

Amazon, of course, is the king of the ‘maybe bag’. You put something in your basket and if you don’t buy it within a few days, you’ll get an automated ping or email reminding you that you didn’t complete your transaction.

What I found very disconcerting about the ‘maybe bag’ at the Maasai Market was that the chairman kept hold of the maybe bag for me. It seemed like a decent gesture, so I could ‘get on with shopping’ but in reality I wasn’t really sure what was in there and l lost some autonomy to ‘own’ my shopping experience.

This is crucial. Let your customers have the autonomy to own their shopping experiences. It’s fair and courteous and will help your customers feel more comfortable, if they have control of what they are about to review and buy. Let’s face it, if your customers find out they’ve been duped to some degree, they’re unlikely to return.

Give as much control and transparency to your customers and it’ll pay off long term. If you really do have a valuable product or service for them they’ll find that value, don’t worry.

Well that was what I think is called a ‘long read’! I hope you found it helpful. I’ll be back in February with some more Digital Wisdom.

Take care,

Andrew x

Collaborate more than you compete.
Learn to learn despite the frustration of the process.
Lead with your ears, follow up with your words.
Breathe as best you can,
and help others to breathe life
into their own heart-forged ideas.
Go forward even when you're going backwards –
because maybe you aren't.

Happy New Year,

Andrew x

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It was a helpful exercise to reinforce a few things. Here goes:

Dear Andrew from 2005,

People don’t come to a website to check out its look and feel, assessing its content offering, and seeing if its SEO is up to scratch.

They come to a website because they need something, to find a solution to their problem, to be informed, etc etc.

People don’t care if you love the content you’ve made, that you spent hours in ideation, crafting your beautiful blog or video or whatever.

They don’t care because they’re more concerned about their own opinion of it, the emotions it engenders for them and the actions it instigates. They probably have no idea who you are and that doesn’t matter to them. Don’t worry.

Whatever you do, put people first, not you. Do what you can, use the tools you can, speak to the actual people who are your audience. Pursue an informed perception of how they will react to what you’re serving them with. From initial touchpoints and first impressions to the point where they’re your leading brand advocates. Think ‘journey’ as much as you do ‘destination’.

Resist the temptation to withdraw into an outbound mindset, where you’re firing off content far and wide and ‘hoping for the best’. No. Don’t hope for the best, find the best. Find the people who will be best suited to your cause, campaign or product… and serve them. Don’t waste your time and resources on a ‘strategy of vagueness’.

Finally, don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t be obsessed with perfection. There is nothing new under the sun, just new ways of connecting existing ideas. Take great peace from the knowledge of that.

Get the job done and then shut the laptop.

Cheers,

Andrew (from the present day).

I hope you found that interesting and helpful too. Try it for yourself. It could be quite cathartic. It doesn’t have to be about digital comms or marketing. It can be whatever lessons you want to reinforce in yourself.

As we come towards the end of 2021, I hope you stay safe and well and avoid Omicron.

Take care,

Andrew

And when driving in the Central African Republic (CAR) on a very bumpy mud road for four hours, my iPhone health app claimed I’d walked more than 30,000 steps. Its poor sensors couldn’t differentiate between the bumps it felt in the road and actual foot steps.

Stupid iPhone? Or just tech that’s got some catching up to do, but in general is already scarily impressive…

This is all by way of an intro to this edition of Digital Wisdom from me, your sleep-deprived* scribe, Andrew Horton.

It’s going to be an eclectic mix of ‘things I’ve found interesting, and I hope you do to’.

First up, I’ve been listening again to the Digital Marketing Institute’s podcast called Ahead of the Game, which I highly recommend if you’re into digital marketing, futurism, digital culture etc.

I heard an interesting discussion with someone called Jason Jercinovic, who is Head of Digital at North Highland, a business transformation agency. He was talking about emerging tech in marketing.

I’ve heard and read lots on how you define ‘digital’ today. Is it just ones and noughts, or is it more that that? Spoiler: it’s more.

Digital is both ‘a thing’ (technology) and ‘a way’ (a modern adaptive system of working)” says Jason. ‘We make meaningful digital evolution happen through the transformation of workforce, customer, and operational processes – with technology sitting at the core.’

Isn’t that a great definition? I thought so. It’s a bit Karate Kid too… ‘a thing… and a way, sensei'.’

Perhaps a helpful phrase to use the next time you’re trying to explain digital to your exec team or senior leaders.

Next up: the metaverse. There have been some very interesting developments in the last month or so, notably Facebook’s rebrand to Meta its solid bet on the take up of the metaverse.

The metaverse is being called the ‘future of the internet’ and Wired mag explains it as a coming together of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), NFTs etc. But it says there’s even more to it:

‘It also translates to a digital economy, where users can create, buy, and sell goods. And, in the more idealistic visions of the metaverse, it's interoperable, allowing you to take virtual items like clothes or cars from one platform to another. In the real world, you can buy a shirt from the mall and then wear it to a movie theater. Right now, most platforms have virtual identities, avatars, and inventories that are tied to just one platform, but a metaverse might allow you to create a persona that you can take everywhere as easily as you can copy your profile picture from one social network to another.’ Wired.com

Here’s an interview which Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg gave to Gary Vaynerchuk about the rise of the metaverse. It’s worth your time to give it a watch, despite the interview being a little disjointed.

If you managed to see it and have a thought on it, drop me a comment below. I think it’s really fascinating and scarily impressive.

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OK, that’s all for now folks.

*I mentioned above that I’m pretty sleep deprived. My wife and I have two little boys and… let’s just say… they need some attention at different times of the night.

Thanks for reading, and please do share with any others you think would find this newsletter/blog interesting.

Take care, and keep out of Omicron’s way!

Andrew.

But will this rebrand 1. Help it overcome its recent and not-so-recent PR crises. 2. Be enough to preserve the long term future of Facebook as a platform, in a scene of bolshy rivals TikTok, Discord etc. 3. and, will Meta be front and central or background/oblivious like Google’s parent company, Alphabet?

I’m curious to know what you think of all this?

Andrew

I struggle with to do lists. But I’m usually fairly productive. So what gives? How do I approach them? And what’s your approach? Let me know in a comment.

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For me a long list of to do items just makes my brain hurt and stifles productivity and creativity.

So I use a different approach. Here it is:

Not calling it a ‘to do’ list.

I call them either ‘On it’ or ‘Today’. It helps me reframe them in my mind and remove their associated fear and discomfort. It also means the negative side of them is more digestible and gives me a greater sense of ownership and control. It’s a bit quirky to rename them, but adding a bit of fun to the process releases their hold on me.

Having more than one list.

This sounds pretty counterintuitive, but hear me out on this. I use multiple, smaller lists which are themed into either a day or a project. And I don’t stick to just one platform. I mix it up between Google Keep, Docs, my calendar and sometimes even paper and pen.

Like my first tactic above, this helps me to not get bogged down in the gloom and doom of one long list. It encourages an ‘active’ approach to my productivity. I bounce between lists and tasks, constantly reprioritising and checking off completed tasks. It’s less linear and more ‘me’, more like real life really.

Enjoy the feeling of completing tasks.

This is crucial. Even if it’s not immediately after I complete a task, I will try and pat myself on the back (not literally). I’m my own worst critic but am on a journey to being more empathetic and gentle with myself.

Perhaps a lot of my approach is down to my personality. And this approach may not be suited to you. Also I wonder if my six years of intense newsroom journalism experience has shaped this way of working.

Either way I’d love to hear how you go about to do lists.

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On a not totally unrelated matter, my day job (which I’m really blessed to do each day) is really busy at the moment. So updates here may not be as frequent in the coming months. Let’s see how we go.

Thanks again for supporting me and take care for now.

Andrew

*This was written by a robot.

Yup. It’s a bit creepy, right?

I can assure you that from now on, unless I say, it’s me writing, not a robot. I promise.

Here’s what my first paragraph looked like before I put it into the AI copywriting generator Wordtune:

Hello, I’m back… jumping into your inbox again. But wait, is it really me? No, I’m not having an existential crisis (I don’t think!) but I’m just testing out a new gizmo which I want to focus this edition of Digital Wisdom on. Hopefully it works!

How did it do? I let the robot copy edit me. I’ll give it a 3/5, I think. But it’s pretty interesting/scary, isn’t it!?

What is AI copywriting?

In a nutshell, AI copywriting is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write copy for you, using natural language processing tools.

The most well-known AI copy generator is GPT-3, developed by Elon Musk’s OpenAI project.

It can be very helpful in creating headlines, CTAs and other micro-copy. It’s proven to be both quick and effective, as JP Morgan Chase found out in a test of humans vs machines writing CTAs. Yes, human CTAs led to considerably fewer conversions.

Here are some pros and cons of using AI tools to write for you:

Pros

It can save you time.

AI tools can analyse data much quicker than humans can. This means they can instantly generate full articles or alternative versions of the same copy, to give you immediate options.

It generates ideas

If you’re stuck with writers’ block, an AI copywriting tool can help you with ideas and ways forward again.

Cons

It can be dangerous

In the wrong hands it can write convincing fake reviews and fake news articles. Amazon has been the most high profile case study here, with claims of a ‘bot army’ writing falsified reviews. How do we know who to trust, eh?

It can’t replicate human emotion

‘When it comes to consumer buying behaviour, feelings are more influential than any other variable,’ says Neil Patel on his self-titled blog.

Robots – at the time of writing! – can’t process and replicate human emotions.

End of story?

Earlier in the summer, I heard a fascinating discussion on the Digital Marketing Institute’s Ahead of the Game podcast.

Kerry Harrison, from the agency Tiny Giant, told the podcast that AI copywriting has both benefits and limitations, ‘It’s not great at doing narrative. It’s great at subject lines or social posts, but when it comes to storytelling it’s not so strong,’ says Kerry. ‘I think we’ve got a way to go before we get anything equivalent to a human.’

‘AI will not replace copywriters, says Carla Lynn, writing for the Unbounce blog, ‘But it will change how they do their jobs.’

I think they are a helpful tool, and not to be feared. As someone who writes copy as part of their job, I find that even on Google Docs or Gmail it's helpful to have the auto-suggest feature turned on – it saves time.

Rory Sutherland, vice-chairman of advertising agency, Ogilvy, told the BBC ‘AI can't hurt if it generates interesting suggestions, but it's like satnav in a car. Great for directions but you don't allow it to drive the car!’

Simply not the best

The welcome reality is that these AI tools can only get better. Better but not the best. That domain belong to us humans, and I think always will.

I’ll leave you with some lines from Shakespeare, fed into Wordtune for our smug enjoyment:

“O Romeo, Romeo! What are you doing?" Deny thy father and reject thy name, or, if thou prefer, swear my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.

Actually not bad! (Original version here)

Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts on AI copywriting. Yay or nay? Concerned or basking in the new freedom AI tools allow you?

Leave a comment

See you again soon, I hope!

Andrew.

I don’t remember the date, but I remember it was 9.16am when I said to my wife: ‘The weather is just perfect’.

We were walking with our two young boys in a forest in Fleet, Hampshire, UK.

Why was it perfect? It just was. Nice temperature, gentle breeze, dry but breathable.

Five minutes later, it was too hot. Grrr! Why couldn’t it have stayed like this?

True to the stereotypical Britishness of me, I was once again bemoaning the current weather.

The increasingly ubiquitous and fascinating Gary Vaynerchuk has a really good take perfectionism and not chasing unrealistic goals.

If you watch his content, he’s all about the ‘cut the crap, do what you enjoy and bring value to people’. (That’s not a quote from him, it’s my description of his approach, just to be clear!)

I think this is a really important attitude to have, particularly when it comes to putting your own content out there.

If you have a tendency to not post content because you’re afraid it’s not perfect and won’t perform well, then I can 100 per cent guarantee you that that not-posted content won’t perform well.

It won’t perform at all because it doesn’t exist.

Let me be a super transparent here. I fall into this trap a lot. For me it takes real, intentional effort (and sometimes some guts) to put out a thought or take on something that’s mine.

It’s the vulnerability. It’s the ‘what if I get laughed at?’ (which I have a painful memory of happening once with a blog post several years ago).

Now the flip side of this is just putting content out meaninglessly and not thinking much about why or what you’re doing. Which is perhaps the polar opposite, the other extreme.

‘Churnalism’, scattergun, spammy approaches are… well, just… spammy really, and one could argue even worse than hiding your light under a bushel.

So how can we be wise here, and get a good balanced approach to how we put out content?

I think it’s good to look at three quite top level things: Identity, Audience and Goals.

1. Identity

   Look at yourself and ask yourself what you bring to the table, and what is your ‘thing’ your subject or perspective you are passionate about? What are you positively adding to an existing conversation?

2. Audience

   Who are you speaking to, who do you want to speak to, what do they care about, and how will they likely resonate with what you have to say? And don’t forget to listen to your audience and see how things are going for you.

3. Goals

   What do you really want to achieve? Maybe it’s to increase your thought leadership reputation, or to spread the message of a cause far and wide, or maybe just to boost sales of a product or service.

So to get to the sweet spot between ‘I don’t know what to post, so I won’t post’ vs. ‘I’ll just post regardless and hope something sticks’, consider these three things first.

Identity, Audience and Goals.

I think the more you reflect on them, the more you let them mature in your thinking, the easier your content will be to create, and the easier your decision about ‘should I post it’ will be.

The weather is fickle, but the sun is always shining behind the clouds…

Thanks to all my new subscribers for subscribing to Digital Wisdom. It’s great to have you on board. I’ve had a healthy growth in my subs list in recent weeks, even though I’ve been a busy bee with other life commitments/challenges etc. So thank you for continuing to spread the word.

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Please tell anyone else you think may be interested in this newsletter/blog.

Take care for now,

Andrew.

PS. I’d love you to fill in a two-minute survey to help me produce better content for you.

This is just a quick update to say I’ve been a very busy bee recently, hence the lack of newsletters.

• Last week I moved house with my family. It was a bit stressy, but we got there!

• I’m in the process of moving on from my day job with Tearfund, to start an exciting new role in a few weeks’ time.

• We’ve had a few health issues in our family, but all doing better now, thankfully.

So in view of this extra busyness, it’s a reminder to also take intentional time to rest too.

I spotted this line from poet Gideon Heugh which really resonated with me:

Easier said than done, but important none the less.

OK, that’s my brief update. Normal service will resume soon…

Take care,

Andrew x

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Why was this?

Because a few weeks ago it was auctioned off as an NFT for £500,000. The successful bidder now owns the bragging rights to an original copy of the 55-second drama.

But let me stop myself there. I want to talk more about NFTs.

What on earth is an NFT?

Oh, right, non-fungible tokens… cool. I gotcha! A class of cryptocurrency.

OK… so the Verge describes them with this helpful analogy: ‘“Non-fungible” means that it’s unique and can’t be replaced with something else. For example, a bitcoin is fungible – trade one for another bitcoin, and you’ll have exactly the same thing. A one-of-a-kind trading card, however, is non-fungible. If you traded it for a different card, you’d have something completely different.’ 

Mashable’s Natasha Mathur says: ‘These items are intangible assets including a video clip (like Charlie bit my finger), audio, and digital art, among other digital files.’

In March 2021, a digital artist called Beeple sold a piece of entirely digital art through Christie's auction house for more than $69 million. In the same month, Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, sold an NFT of his first ever tweet for $2.9 million.

What?!!

It’s further confirmation of how blockchain technologies are developing super-fast and disrupting the concept of a value-exchange.

I first heard about NFTs in a tweet from entrepreneur and digital marketing guru, Gary Vaynerchuk. He compares his excitement towards NFTs with the early days of the internet and Web 2.0. My ears pricked up. Gary has since spoken about them regularly on podcasts, blogs and on his social channels.

I find blockchain tech (which NFTs fall into the category of) really fascinating. Google Docs, which I use to draft my Substacks, is perhaps an example of my favourite blockchain technology.

Not all fun

But, while NFTs may be an exciting economic development, they’re not great for the environment. According to Wired, verifying the validity of NFTs requires ‘a network of computers that use advanced cryptography to decide whether transactions are valid—and in doing so uses energy on the scale of a small country.’

One study claimes Bitcoin emissions alone could push global warming above 2°C. Let that sink in for a sec.

The digital registry, where Beeple’s piece of NFT art is stored, is called Ethereum. Ethereum is responsible for the annual emission of more carbon into the atmosphere than most small countries. It’s because it runs a Proof-of-Work (PoW) basis, and the PoW algorithm is very computer intensive to ‘mint’ (or validate) NFTs.

So where do we go from here?

According to a CBS News report many artists, including Damien Hurst, are working to raise awareness about alternatives to Ethereum and it’s PoW approach.

NFT gurus Artnome are even putting a bounty on attempts to make NFTs greener.

A recently launched online store is now selling exclusively green NFTs.

And Ethereum itself says it’s planning to switch from PoW to PoS (proof of stake) – eliminating up to 99% of the power consumption. They’re calling the move a ‘consensus mechanism’. Basically it means you just rely on groups of stakeholders to verify if an NFT is genuine, and you're not dependent on heavyweight computer power crunching through that verification process… and killing the planet.

So, that’s quite a lot to think about in this edition of Digital Wisdom.

I’m no expert on NFTs and the like, but I do find them totally fascinating – what they mean and how they are such a change-making tech development.

Let me know what you think, leave a comment here or connect with me on LinkedIn.

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To find out more about the basics of NFTs, check out this video from one of my favourite YouTubers, Johnny Harris.

If you have a mo, I’d love you to fill in my little reader survey? It will take less than two mins of your time, and will really help me to shape Digital Wisdom.

Thanks again for supporting this newsletter (which is in reality part blog/part newsletter!). You can catch up with previous editions here.

And please consider sharing the link with your friends, colleagues, networks, so we can see this grow.

Take care for now,

Andrew x

PS. I have some exciting news, which I will be sharing soon! Gosh, I’m such a tease, right? 😂