This one began *several* months ago and well to the wayside. However, I figured it's about time to finish it off and put it out, as there may be some value in it.

The tone of what follows starts off differently than where it may end up, given I started it during the elated headspace of Steemit's first boom, and have since taken a new course with much of my outlook and writing style. Nonetheless, there is some gold that was starting to be dug up then - and given that Steem price is on the rise once again and shall no doubt be attracting new users, I'd like to share some of these insights in hopes that some might take and put them into action to produce increasingly better content for the community.

Without further ado...

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Yesterday, I wrote ["What Makes A Story Successful: The FIVE Winning Ingredients For A Highly-Rewarded Steemit Post"](https://steemit.com/steemit/@rok-sivante/the-five-winning-ingredients-for-a-highly-rewarded-steemit-post-what-makes-a-story-successful) - in which were described the 5 foundational categories of **VALUE** that make up any excellently written content.

If you've ever wanted decode the secrets of successful writers, you need not look further than to really understand these five "ingredients:"

* Informational/Educational Value 
* Entertainment Value 
* Inspirational Value
* Originality Value 
* Ease-of-Readability Value 

If you haven't read that post yet, I recommend doing so [here](https://steemit.com/steemit/@rok-sivante/the-five-winning-ingredients-for-a-highly-rewarded-steemit-post-what-makes-a-story-successful). It's a quick, straightforward read - yet absolutely transformative once you grasp it.

Today, we're going to unveil another layer of depth of these *elements* - discovering that these in-fact correlate to the **five elements** as understood and taught by the ancient eastern philosophies.

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Within the conceptual foundation for the energetic systems of feng shui, qi gong, I Ching (Book Of Changes), traditional Chinese medicine, etc - there were identified five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. There is also a connection between the first four and the seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter.

Buried within these ancient arts are some serious nuggets of wisdom, and deep insight into the laws of the universe. And I don't mean the airy-fairy "manifest your desires with the law of attraction" type of universal laws, but those such as the laws of physics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and concrete sciences - the fundamental structural dynamics of this world we live in.

These Laws and dynamics can be found in a wide variety of life's arenas. Some have been translated into the discovered bodies of knowledge openly embraced by institutional science. Others have remained more esoteric - perhaps more difficultly understood, not fitting conventional paradigms, falling outside of common schools of thought - beyond the grasp of many who have not immersed themselves deeply and opened up senses necessary to perceiving dimensions required to know in order to grasp the contexts in which certain laws operate in. Such more esoteric realms and their laws might sometimes fall into the category of "alchemy" - appearing bogus, mystical or even magical to those without knowledge, yet merely existing as natural phenomenon regardless.

*Now,* back to the headline focus: how to create successful stories on Steemit (or any other consumable content for any other platform)...

It may also be that the underlying fundamental knowledge behind the dynamics of universal law and **alchemy** provide the exact roadmap for how to consistently create highly-valuable content.


I had stated in the last post, "*this is not a theory. It's science.*"

Here, you're about to learn a little of the science of alchemy - applied directly to how you can create massive value and reap the rewards (here on Steemit, or in any other venture requiring quality content creation).

While the basic 5 value "elements" are easy to grasp, what we're going into now is more in-depth. So if you don't get it *all* right away, that's ok. It took me a decade of intensive study to see these patterns and I'll do my best to extract the gold for summarization. Take your time and reread any/all of this if needed - I promise it'll be worth it.

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(*Bear with me here, as I'm going to simplify this as much as humanly possible, though it may seem I'm jumping around a bit. However, I promise this all connects together...*)

For years, I've been heavily-influenced by Roger Hamilton's "[Wealth Dynamics](http://wealthdynamics.ca)" profiling system, which is rooted deep in the I Ching - the ancient Chinese "Book Of Changes," which maps out the dynamics of nature's cycles of time & energetics.

*Summarizing* - the I Ching is based on the simple premise:

- There are naturally-occuring phases of development in all phenomena of life. The universe is orderly and structured according to a set of underlying laws, which describe the interaction between the different combinations of yin & yang energies throughout repeating seasons. 

The I Ching is formed from 64 "hexagrams" - each a combination of 6 lines, either broken or straight, which represent yin or yang. Each hexagram is like a *code* - providing insight into the particular characteristics of a given season or phase of life cycle.

Terence McKenna helped me understand it better when he made a comparison to the Period Table Of Elements taught in chemistry: like the table is composed of 118(?) base elements, from which all other matter is created - each of the 64 hexagrams represents a specific division (or root, foundational component/element) of *time...*

The coding of each hexagram details the nature/qualities of that given period of a holistic cycle, as determined by the interaction - based on universal law - of different yin & yang energies at play in that epoch/scenario/moment.

But let's make that simpler for now. Rather than worrying about 64 different sub-components of time, we're going to focus on FIVE, which you may have heard of before...

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Now, there are two different dimensions to each of these five: the element itself, *and* a correlating season. They are as follows:

Wood ~ Spring
Fire ~ Summer
Earth ~ Autumn
Metal ~ Winter
  *and*
Water ~ (*timeless*)

I might write more on Wealth Dynamics later, though there are a few of its basic premises that are relevant here...

* **Wealth = Value x Leverage**

* Every person has a balance/imbalance of these four core energies, which form personality, natural talents, and characteristics of mind. Once identified, a personalized path to creating wealth is revealed.


<h4>Natural Genius</h4>

* A person strong in Dynamo/Spring/Wood energy is naturally creative, intuitive, visionary, has their head in the clouds, and is great at starting new things.

* Those with strong Blaze/Fire/Summer energy are naturally extroverted, outgoing, and great at connecting with people. 

* Those with much Tempo/Earth/Autumn energy are more grounded, paced, have their 'ears to the ground,' and are tuned in well with their surroundings.

* And the Metal/Steel/Winter bunch tend to be more introverted, detail oriented, and are good with numbers & systems.

The profiling system breaks it down further into 8 profiles - for which their is a winning strategy for each, suited to their natural abilities & way of thinking. Each profile has an inherent type of **value** - *and,* one person's value *always* becomes another person's **leverage.** 

That's as much as you need to know about Wealth Dynamics for now, as an example of the first four elements. If you're interested in learning more, come back later when you have an extra 10 minutes to watch this excellent video that explains the system:

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[And/or take the free "Genius Test" to find out which of the 4 "Genius" (energies) you are.](http://geniusu.wealthdynamics.ca)

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<h3>The Elements Of a Great Content</h3>


After writing ["What Makes A Story Successful: The FIVE Winning Ingredients For A Highly-Rewarded Steemit Post"](https://steemit.com/steemit/@rok-sivante/the-five-winning-ingredients-for-a-highly-rewarded-steemit-post-what-makes-a-story-successful), I realized:

<h4>Those five ingredients relate directly to the five elements.</h4>

Here we go as an overview:

* Wood ~ Spring ~ Originality
* Fire ~ Summer ~ Entertainment
* Earth ~ Autumn ~ Ease-Of-Readability
* Metal ~ Winter ~ Informational
* Water ~ *timeless* ~ Inspirational

(*There is probably a better name than "ease-of-readability," but for now, it sums up the concept attempting to be expressed.*)

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Going into more detail now:

<h4>1. Originality Value = Wood/Spring/Dynamo Energy</h4>

Spring is the time of new beginnings, seeds planted, and of blossoming growth.

When *creating* great content, it needs a dose of *freshness* into it. Like wood grows naturally from a tree, excellent content needs to grow out of an idea, concept, perspective, or insight.

In sharing freshly-grown, original content, seeds are sown to take root in the minds of others. Like colorful flowers blooming in the spring, well-written words add radiance & vividness to a reader's consciousness, infusing it with the scent of fresh intellectual & emotional stimulation.

Content that is merely a dull rehash of what's been written before is usually boring. There is little Originality value to it.

Content communicating new ideas can be envigorating. Writing putting a new twist on old topics can also be engaging. The value of either is typically greater than duplicate content, due to their Originality value - the freshness of a Dynamo/spring energy.

*(Through the Wealth Dynamics, this also correlates with the WHAT.)*

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<h4>2. Entertainment Value = Fire/Summer/Blaze Energy</h4>

Summer is hot and things are moving steady in the middle of a growth cycle. Lively. Welcoming.

It's a great time to get out and connect up with friends or make new ones. There's a human warmth. Time to play, laugh, dance.

Great writing needs a little bit of fire in it to capture a reader's attention & heart. 

And you can't make *steam* without fire!*

Not all content need be intellectual, highly original, or even informative. Sometimes, the most popular is simply that which generates the biggest laughs - due to the Entertainment value - the Blaze/summer energy.

*(Back to the Wealth Dynamics system, this connects with the WHO. In the context of content creation, that "who" could relate to making the human connection - even if not outright "entertainment," slanting a presentation enough to stand out and engage with the captivating liveliness of the Blaze.)*

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<h4>3. Ease-Of-Readability Value = Earth/Autumn/Tempo Energy</h4>

Following the exuberance of summer, comes fall/autumn - a time for grounding. It's the time of harvest, a completion of a cycle, a Phase to gather the fruits of our passion in preparation for digestion.

With writing, it's not enough to have a great original idea and Blaze ahead in enthusiastically sharing it - to be effective in communicating and advancing its development, we need to slow down and bring it to fruition in form that is presentable, absorbable, digestible. 

Ultimately, the ideas discovered with heads high in the clouds need to come down and find their ground at a tempoed pace. 

Innovative brilliance alone doesn't cut it. Neither does unbounded excitement. When producing content to impact others with ideas or passion, it is critical to culminate that into a presentable package that's easy to read, understand, grasp, and feels good going down because it's been paced well for an effective delivery.

*(Here, it's about the WHEN - though there is more to this aspect than that simple interpretation which might be more relevant to the context of content creation. For instance, Tempo also has a lot to do with nourishing relationships - through communications, the timing of certain deliveries critical to supporting a desired harmonious outcome.)*

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<h4>4. Informational Value = Metal/Winter/Steel Energy</h4>


Coldness. Hibernation into preparations for the next cycle.

Steel, chopping away the excess. Hardness. 

Some content isn't meant to be entertaining or original. Sometimes it's about the cold hard facts.

Sometimes it doesn't need to paced, well-presented, and easily digestible. Sometimes, there's just info that needs to be gotten across - cut and dry, away with fluff, straightforward with the facts.

Sometimes one can give away *too much* information that is not relevant. Others, there is tremendous value in offering just the right info at the right time. 

*(This relates to the HOW.)*

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<h4>5. Inspiration Value = Water Energy</h4>

*This is the WHY.*

"Flow like water," some wise Chinese martial arts master once said. There is a beautiful fluidity about water. 

I suppose this one doesn't have a season associated with it, because in a sense, it's timeless.

It flows through the earth. Nourishes the growing wood. Exhausts the fire, dissipating the danger of burnout. And flows effortlessly around the sharpness of steel, unscathed - hardening in the cold, transforming to gas in high heat, to condense back down again. It is eternal.

(Now didn't that sound poetic. Haha.)

Our *why*... 
Our legacy... lives beyond us.

Through our communication, this is the spark of inspiration - something almost Divine flowing through us that moves something deeply in another to initiate a reflection on their larger purpose, or to reconnect to a part of the Sacred in which the self evaporates temporarily - giving way to a vision of interconnection and service to that greater than our tiny selves.

Sounds like some hippie shit, phrased like that. But look past the flowery bouquet and feel into it for a moment.

This element isn't the original idea. It's something deeper, ancient, that we can't take credit for.

This isn't the summer heat, despite an all-penetrating warmth. It'd be more like the ultimate source of the flame *and* what is returned to after the fire.

It isn't the earth, but encompasses all the planets and stars and beyond. And it's not the tempo of the clock ticking either - though perhaps more the singularity from which all time is extracted from and compressed back into.

Nor is it the cold steel or winter. Though, it *could* cut down all illusions, or freeze the entire universe into a memory bit, from which to reflect upon the totality of time & space's content.

Truth is, I can't tell you what it is. Nobody can.

But we can each pass on a piece of it in our own ways, like a candle lighting another to illuminate the dark.

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<h4>The Alchemy...</h4>

Originally, alchemists were known as these wizard-like dudes on a quest to turn lead into gold. Pretty badass.

As the field on modern psychology evolved, the term alchemy was used as something of a metaphor for the process of inner transformation - turning one's pain and shadows into light, working through one's demons to come out the other side victorious, like a sort of metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly.

Whether taking either approach on the art/science, a common theme remains: a transmutation of elements into something new. Kind of like a mad scientist in a chemical lab.

The eastern arts - whether feng shui, traditional Chinese medicine, astrology, or qi gong - have some firm roots in the realm of alchemy. In their different forms, they dealt with practices of engaging with the elements to achieve harmony with oneself and one's surroundings. And through the lens of examining the five elements as manifest through the form of written content as we have here, we can begin to discover how to turn the lead of our fingers heavily pounding on a keyboard producing word-by-word into GOLD...

Recap:

* Wood ~ Spring ~ Originality
* Fire ~ Summer ~ Entertainment
* Earth ~ Autumn ~ Ease-Of-Readability
* Metal ~ Winter ~ Informational
* Water ~ *timeless* ~ Inspirational

Here, you have a map.

Learn to follow it, and you'll never again experience writer's block or struggle trying to piece together a winning Steemit post.

The map is *yours* to navigate, within each unique journey that is the undertaking of a new article or piece of content produced.

You might have a highly original idea.

Or you might not.

If you do, how far will it get if you don't pour the Blaze passion into it? Or if the passion is high, but you don't slow down to ensure its well-written and easy to read?

Maybe there is nothing original about the topic at all. Maybe there is nothing entertaining about it. Maybe it's even a bit scattered and difficult to read. But it *does* contain some priceless information, and even just one bit of it inspires some action.

Maybe it's strictly entertainment. A stupid ass meme that sends people into ROFL.

Maybe it's strictly inspirational, and need not be longer than three sentences. 

*There is no 100% duplicable formula to creating great content.*

But infusing the right elements into a piece in a winning combination might just produce great results, time and time again.

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Like a masterful chef fusing together different flavour combinations to create a unique dish pleasing the palate, so are these five elements your foundational ingredients for engaging in the art of alchemy through a pen and paper (or keyboard and word processor).

A bit of Originality...

A dash of Entertainment Value...

The proper timing in preparation and sequential structure to ensure The Ease of Readability and digestability...

An appropriate sprinkle of relevant Information...

With the metaphorical inspirational cherry on top...

And, **ba-bam!**

*Now...*

If you gleaned some **value** from this...

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Business is about to boom here on Steemit.

Time to upgrade our games. Time to embrace the alchemists we are - educating, entertaining, and inspiring this growing community with increasingly valuable content.

<h4>If you concur, hit the Resteem button!</h4>

And invest some of your Steem earnings to take your [Wealth Dynamics Profile Test](http://www.wealthdynamics.ca). Trust me, the insight you gain will be well-worth it. (Around half a million entrepreneurs have taken the test and given nothing but rave reviews. For myself, it was one of the key turning points in my life.)

*Maktub, bitchezzzzz.....*

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(With love.)
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