One Concept: The Philosophy That Defines Your World

Stop Copying What Everyone Else Is Doing and Start Thinking for Yourself

One day, I was talking to a friend about why most online businesses feel so…samey.

I’m good at spotting patterns (sometimes it’s a curse) and the social media algorithms are really good at presenting patterns to you. Because if you like one person, then your chances of seeing someone else just like them are pretty high.

You know what I mean.

The same templates, the same strategies, the same “proven systems” that everyone copies from everyone else. It’s like watching a bunch of people try to recreate someone else’s recipe without understanding why the ingredients work together.

But I’m a Misfit. It’s not that the templates, strategies, and proven systems aren’t solid. But I’ve worked with 1000s of students and 100s of clients over the years who are…well…different.

They see what they’re doing as an opportunity to make money, but more importantly, an opportunity to build that thing that’s been inside of them for a while.

So when someone tells them to follow a system that the person next to them is following as well, it can feel off. It can feel like they are replacing part of who they are with part of the system creator.

You can see this in the difference between businesses and worlds.

Businesses follow formulas. Worlds follow philosophies.

Your Framework Problem

There’s a good chance I know what you do when you sit down to create content.

You stare at a blank page. Maybe you scroll through what others in your space are doing. You think about best practices and proven frameworks. You try to reverse-engineer what’s working for successful people.

And somehow, everything you create feels like a watered-down version of someone else’s thing.

That’s because you’re starting with tactics instead of thinking.

There are only so many hooks you can use from that list of 47 that you found by signing up for The Social Media Guru’s mailing list.

Every successful personal brand operates from what I call a “One Concept” – a clear philosophical approach to how they see the world and solve problems. It’s not their method or their system. It’s how they think.

Seth Godin doesn’t just teach marketing tactics. He operates from the concept that marketing is about creating change in people who want to be changed. Everything he creates stems from that way of thinking.

Tim Ferriss doesn’t just share productivity tips. His entire world is built on the concept that smart systems beat hard work. Every book, every podcast, every piece of advice filters through that lens.

James Clear doesn’t just talk about habits. He thinks from the concept that small, consistent changes compound into remarkable results. That philosophy shapes everything he touches.

Notice how these aren’t business strategies or content topics. They’re ways of seeing reality that inform everything else.

Why Philosophy Matters More Than Process

Most business advice treats you like you’re opening a Subway franchise. Follow the steps, implement the system, optimize the metrics. It works great if you’re selling sandwiches.

But what if your business is built around who you are? What if people buy from you because of your ideas, your perspective, your way of seeing the world?

Then following someone else’s process isn’t just useless. It’s actively harmful.

I’ve watched thousands of creators try to force themselves into frameworks designed for different people with different worldviews. They optimize their “customer acquisition funnels” while their authentic voice disappears. They A/B test their way into mediocrity.

Your concept isn’t just about marketing. It’s about having a clear way of thinking that people can recognize, understand, and choose to follow.

The Gravity Metaphor

Think of your concept like gravity.

The Earth doesn’t chase objects and convince them to come closer. It simply exists with enough mass that other objects are naturally drawn to it. The more massive it becomes, the stronger its gravitational pull.

That’s what a clear concept does for your business. You don’t push people toward your offers. You create enough philosophical mass that people who think like you naturally gravitate toward what you’re building.

Random tactics create random attraction. Clear concepts create consistent pull.

What Makes a Concept Actually Work

A strong concept isn’t just an opinion or a tagline. It passes what I call the “polarity test.”

If everyone would agree with your concept, it’s not a concept. It’s common sense.

“Help people succeed” isn’t a concept because nobody disagrees with success.

“Success comes from doing fewer things better” is a concept because plenty of people believe success comes from hustle and doing more.

The disagreement isn’t a bug. It’s a feature. When your concept naturally creates some opposition, it also creates stronger attraction among people who share your way of thinking.

One Concept Checkpoints

It should feel obvious to you. Your concept shouldn’t be something you strategically decided on. It should be how you already think about problems, just articulated clearly.

It should apply broadly. You’re not looking for a specific tactic or method. You want a way of thinking that you can apply to multiple situations and contexts.

It should energize you. Since you’ll be exploring this concept for years, it better be something you genuinely care about and can’t stop thinking about.

My Own Messy Example

I’ll be honest. It took me way too long to figure out my own concept.

For years, I was creating content about productivity, business, life optimization, random observations. Good stuff, but no connecting thread. People followed me for individual insights, not for a coherent worldview.

Then I realized something. In almost everything I shared, I was basically saying the same thing. Most advice fails because it tries to give you the application instead of teaching you the fundamentals.

Every productivity guru wants you to copy their exact morning routine. Every business expert insists you follow their specific framework. Every marketing coach swears by their particular system.

But here’s what I kept seeing. The people who succeeded weren’t copying applications. They understood the underlying principles and built their own approach.

That became my concept. “Fundamentals are universal, but applications are personal.”

Suddenly, everything I wanted to create had a clear filter. Instead of giving people my specific solutions, I could teach them the foundational principles and help them build what actually works for their brain, their constraints, their life.

The fundamental principle of focus is universal. Whether you focus for 25-minute sprints or 3-hour blocks depends on your brain and situation.

The fundamental principle of consistent value creation is universal. Whether you do that through daily posts, weekly newsletters, or monthly deep dives depends on your capacity and audience.

The concept didn’t limit me. It freed me. Because now I had a clear way of thinking that honored both what works across all humans AND what makes each person different.

The concept didn’t limit me. It freed me. Because now I had a clear way of thinking that I could apply to anything.

Your Concept Is Already There

Here’s the thing you need to understand. Your concept already exists.

It’s in how you naturally approach problems. It’s in the patterns you see that others miss. It’s in the solutions you create instinctively. It’s in what pisses you off about conventional wisdom in your field.

You’re not inventing a concept from scratch. You’re recognizing and articulating the way you already think.

Most people just haven’t taken the time to notice their own patterns and put words to them.

The Content Connection

Once you have a clear concept, content creation becomes ridiculously easier.

Instead of wondering “What should I write about today?” you ask “How does this situation relate to my concept?”

Instead of creating random tips and motivational posts, you’re having an ongoing conversation about how your way of thinking applies to different contexts.

Instead of competing on tactics, you’re building authority around a philosophical approach that only you can represent authentically.

Your concept becomes the thread that ties everything together. People don’t just follow you for individual insights. They follow you because they want to learn how to think the way you think.

When Concepts Go Wrong

I see people mess this up in a few predictable ways:

The borrowed concept. Taking someone else’s way of thinking and slapping your name on it. This always feels forced because it’s not actually how you think.

The tactic concept. Confusing your method with your concept. “I help people with email marketing” isn’t a concept, it’s a service description.

The platitude concept. Choosing something everyone agrees with. “Mindset matters” isn’t a concept, it’s a motivational poster.

The narrow concept. Limiting yourself to one specific application. “Morning routines create success” is too narrow. “Systematic preparation outperforms natural talent” could apply to morning routines, business planning, relationships, whatever.

The Business Impact

When you operate from a clear concept, everything else gets easier:

• Pricing: You’re not competing on features. You’re the obvious choice for people who share your way of thinking.
• Content: You have endless material because you can apply your concept to any situation or trend.
• Decisions: Instead of analyzing endless options, you choose what aligns with your conceptual approach.
• Clients: You attract people who think like you rather than people who just need your services.
• Partnerships: You connect with others who share or complement your way of thinking.

The concept becomes a filter for everything. It helps you say yes to the right opportunities and no to the wrong ones.

And here’s the kicker. Concepts don’t become stale over time. They become more sophisticated. The longer you explore your way of thinking, the more nuanced and powerful it becomes.

Ready to Find Yours?

Your concept is already lurking in your brain. It’s in your frustrations with how things are typically done. It’s in your natural explanations when someone asks for advice. It’s in what you can’t help but mention in conversations.

You just need to recognize it and give it some structure.

In the practical application section, I’ll walk through exactly how to identify and develop your concept into something that creates real gravitational pull around everything you build.

But first, spend some time noticing how you naturally think about problems in your area. What approach do you instinctively take that others might do differently?

That instinct is worth more than all the proven frameworks in the world.

Because it’s actually yours.