You are thinking Newtonian, and I need you to think quantum
Why some people stay stuck, why hard work alone isn’t enough to make progress, and how to harness good chaos .
This essay is part of a series I’m writing leading up to January Joy, a free slate of events I’m co-hosting with Claire Venus ✨ next month, including live conversations with experts about how they grow with joy, challenges to help you plan your own joyous growth, and a masterclass at the end to wrap it all up. You can sign up for free to get access to all most of the events.
All you have to do is subscribe to the January Joy publication, and you’ll be registered for everything but the masterclass, which is $100. However, Hapitalist members get a free ticket. If you’ve been thinking about joining, this is a great time to consider an upgrade.
Hi,
We’ve all met people who work hard and are still stuck in hummus. Let’s be fair. We’ve probably all been people who were stuck, and we likely are people who are still stuck in at least one part of our lives.
We wake up early, grind through the days, and check off tasks like life is one big spreadsheet.
And yet, we don’t get very far.
Meanwhile, someone else who seems a little scattered, maybe even impractical, suddenly leaps ahead, landing the opportunity, the audience, or the success everyone else has been chasing.
What’s the difference?
We’re gonna have to get a little weird with it to explain this one, but in short the universe is unfathomably weirder than we’ve been taught, so you gotta be at least a little weird to groove with it.
Let’s start with how we think the universe works.
Newtonian physics is the fundamental structure we’ve built our entire society around for eons. For centuries, we believed the universe functioned like a perfect machine. If you knew the starting point, you could calculate exactly where an object would be at any moment in the future.
Success, according to this worldview, should work the same way.
Do the work → Get the result.
Follow the formula → Achieve the outcome.
Input = Output.
Cause → Effect
This is Newtonian thinking at its core. It’s linear, predictable, and comforting. If I check all the boxes, success should arrive right on schedule.
It would be so nice and convenient if the world worked that way.
Unfortunately, it turns out that model only holds in the observable world. When you drill down to the subatomic, we discover that particles don’t move in neat, predictable lines. They exist in a cloud of possibilities.
A quark might be here, or it might be there. They can create and destroy energy seemingly at will. They can move in directions that shouldn’t be possible. Gods forbid you look at one because that changes its behavior in ways that will break your brain.
It’s batty.
So, at a base level, things looks pretty normal, but deep below the surface our universe is really built on a foundation of chaos, nonsense, and unquantifiable potential.
It’s this unseen engine for unpredictability that actually guides the flow of our universe and we ignore it at our peril, or at least our annoyance.
Every conversation, every project, every risk you take creates possibilities that collide around in chaotic and unpredictable ways following the laws not of Newtonian physics but of quantum entanglement.
Quantum thinkers don’t just grind. They play in the field of possibility. They know that:
One connection at a conference can change everything.
One book launch can open ten unexpected doors.
One piece of content might flop, but another might go viral and rewrite your entire career.
It’s not about control. It’s about increasing your odds and staying open to the unexpected. It’s about being focused with what you want, not how you get it.
Most of us were trained in Newtonian thinking. We grew up with report cards, syllabi, and standardized tests. Work hard, get good grades. Follow the instructions, get the gold star. That’s how school works.
But success in life doesn’t follow that linear path anymore, if they ever did.
The old career ladders no longer exist. There’s no linear climb to tenure, no clear pipeline from debut to bestseller. We live in an economy that punishes predictability. The safest path that everyone followed for generations is now the one most likely to collapse under you.
Quantum thinking matters because uncertainty isn’t the exception, it’s the rule. The people who thrive aren’t the ones who follow the formulas most perfectly. They’re the ones who stay adaptable, playful, and open to possibility when the formulas stop working.
If you stick only to Newtonian thinking, you end up frustrated, wondering why you did everything right and still nothing seemed to work.
Newtonian thinking tells you to double down, work harder, and follow the rules more precisely, but doubling down on the wrong framework just digs the hole deeper. Quantum thinkers understand that success is probabilistic. You can’t guarantee outcomes, but you can stack the deck in your favor.
Experiment widely. Instead of betting on one perfect formula, quantum thinkers test multiple approaches. Some will fail, but others will hit bigger than expected.
Leverage networks. In Newton’s world, momentum depends only on mass and velocity. In the quantum world, particles interact in weird ways, and so do people. Who you know, and how you resonate, matters as much as what you do.
Stay open to collapse. You never know which opportunity will collapse into reality. That’s why quantum thinkers show up consistently, knowing today’s effort might not pay off until years later.
Embrace uncertainty. Instead of fearing the unknown, they accept it as part of the game. Uncertainty is not failure; it’s possibility.
Now, I’m not saying Newtonian thinking is bad. In fact, you need it for lots of things. Newton gives you discipline, consistency, and structure. You can’t write a novel, launch a product, or build a business by accident. You need routines. You need habits. You need gravity to keep you grounded.
But Newton alone won’t get you the breakthrough. It will keep you stable, but it won’t help you leap. By doing the same inputs, all you’ll get back are the same outputs.
That’s where quantum comes in. Quantum is the spark of wild collision you never saw coming. The more success you get, the more quantum your thinking needs to become. Let’s break down a practical comparison:
Newtonian mindset:
“If I write X books, I’ll make Y income.”
“If I follow this formula exactly, I’ll succeed.”
“I won’t try unless I know it will work.”
Quantum mindset:
“Each book increases the probability of hitting with readers.”
“I’ll test multiple strategies, knowing most won’t hit, but the few that do will pay off disproportionately.”
“I’ll create conditions where luck can find me.”
Newtonian thinking seduces you with certainty. It whispers that if you just check the right boxes and follow the rules a little tighter, the outcome is guaranteed. That illusion is comforting, but it’s also deadly.
Life doesn’t reward people who play it safe.
Newtonian thinkers get stuck in the hamster wheel. They over-plan, polish projects that never launch, and wait for the moment when all the conditions line up. Then, by the time it does, the world has already moved on to the next thing. They cling to formulas that used to work, wondering why they keep coming up short.
Quantum thinkers, on the other hand, are messy, unpredictable, and maybe even a little reckless, but they’re the ones making leaps while everyone else is grinding in place. They aren’t afraid of uncertainty. They treat it as fuel. They know the world isn’t a machine. It’s a storm, and the only way to survive a storm is to move with it, not against it.
That’s why you can’t afford to stay Newtonian. The world has changed. The formulas are broken. If you want to thrive, you’ve got to stop chasing guarantees and start chasing possibilities.
Here are some shifts you can make today to start thinking more quantum:
Launch before you’re ready. Perfection is Newtonian. Iteration is quantum.
Expand your surface area for luck. More experiments = more chances for probability to collapse in your favor.
Invest in resonance. People connect with you, not just your output. Show up authentically.
Detach from linear timelines. Success doesn’t arrive on schedule. Sometimes the seed you plant today doesn’t sprout for years.
Stay playful. Quantum success isn’t mechanical; it’s exploratory. Play is where breakthroughs happen.
Follow threads of energy. Pay attention to where conversations, ideas, and projects light you up. If something feels alive, follow it. Energy is a clue to potential probability collapse.
Stack small experiments. One experiment might not hit, but ten stacked together change your odds dramatically. Momentum builds as possibilities overlap.
Build loose ties. Your next leap probably won’t come from your best friend. It’ll come from the acquaintance you meet at a conference, or the person you DM on a whim. Weak ties often unlock the biggest doors.
Ask bolder questions. Instead of “How do I guarantee success?” ask, “What would increase my odds?” That subtle shift reframes your actions from control to possibility.
Leave room for surprise. Don’t over-schedule every hour. Leave cracks in the system where randomness can sneak in. The serendipitous encounters can’t happen if you’re too rigid to notice them.
Instead of intentionally taking the next “logical” step to achieve your outcome like Newtonian thinking would have you do, you are instead focused on increasing the probability for “good chaos” to work in your favor.
It’s not that you aren’t strategic. You are just strategic in a way that looks wholly different to anything you’ve done up until this point.
By intentionally entering situations and interacting with people that expand your probability field, you are inviting more of those agents to work in your favor.
This is why writer’s conferences are so powerful. It’s not just that there are lots of people there. You could go to a Dairy Queen for that.
It’s because they’re filled with people who are intentionally on the same journey as you. They’ve all been attracted by the location, the speakers, the organizers, and the vibe to go on this journey with you. Everyone there is highly activated and very likely to be able to help you break through your blocks and move your forward.
I have no idea who can help you, but it’s almost guaranteed that if you’re in the right rooms, somebody can help you move forward. You just have to hold loosely who that might be, and how it comes to you.
By walking through the door and being open to possibilities, you allow the universe to guide you into the right directions to put you in a position to win.
This is what I mean by good chaos.
Those spontaneous meetings that end up being the best part of any conference? That’s good chaos, born from dropping that schedule and allowing probabilty to work in your favor.
You win, then, by putting yourself into as many situations as possible where good chaos can work in your favor. It means being very strategic about what you want, but holding loosely how you get it or where it comes from.
Unfortunately, what people often do instead at conferences is try to block out every minute of every day, giving order to chaos and thus shutting themselves off to the chaotic good nature of an event like that.
This is exactly how Newtonian thinking can seriously impede your success. You miss out on serendipity to seek perfection, but the universe just doesn’t work like that.
This effect doesn’t just happen in person, either. A mailing list is (most) powerful because it aggregates and focuses good chaos. The more people see your message, the more people get inspired by it, and the more good things can happen from it.
I am constantly surprised which people I’ve met over the years have stayed on my mailing list, and which have fallen off of it. Many of my best friends have never subscribed, and yet I meet people weekly who have been on my list for years and I’ve never talked to before.
Some of the most powerful people in publishing read my work, while others couldn’t care less, or even have an active distaste for me. I have no control over that, but I do have control over what I put out into the world, the situations I enter, and how to walk through the world while I’m there to attract the right people to me.
After that, I have to trust that good chaos will work in my favor, and connect me with the people who resonate with what I have to say.
That doesn’t mean I’m passive. I actively ask people to join my mailing list when appropriate, host events to build my list consistently, and follow up with people after meeting them to stay in contact.
I am very intentional and strategic, just not in a Newtonian way. I have no idea what will come out of meeting good people. I just know that if you are good to good people, good things will happen.
In quantum thinking, you only control the inputs, not the outputs, but you can influence how likely it is get the outputs you want by controlling what actions you do, where you do them, how many you attempt, and over what time horizon.
This is how a career expands in exponential and unexpected ways. Newtonian thinking gives you arithmetic wins, but quantum thinking gives you the ability to leap ahead in unexpected and wholly unfathomable ways.
If you want people to pay attention, you need much, much, much more good chaos working in your favor.
Success isn’t a machine you can crank. It’s a probability field. Newtonian thinking will get you started. It teaches discipline, consistency, and structure, If you want true breakthroughs, you have to go quantum.
That means showing up, stacking experiments, nurturing connections, and letting go of the illusion of control. It means trusting that somewhere in the messy field of possibility, your big leap is waiting to collapse into reality.
You can take one risk, send one bold email, launch one imperfect thing into the world. Newton will keep you moving forward. Quantum will change your trajectory.
If you want to start living quantum in 2026, I’m working with Claire Venus ✨ on a free program we’re calling January Joy.
It’s all about how to grow joyously in 2026, and also make the money you want to make. It’s filled with live conversations, challenges, and even a masterclass at the end of it.
The masterclass is $100, but the rest of it is completely free. Plus, it will be free for all Hapitalist members, and be available for watching afterward inside my archives.
If you have been thinking about joining, now is a great time. I have so much extra cool stuff planned for you next year.
I never took Physics, so Newtonian versus Quantum is something I can barely comprehend. On the other hand, I have been thinking a lot about how rigidity in thinking is comfortable, but often works against the thinker. These ideas feel related to me.