Unlock your personal brand’s DNA: discovering your ‘Golden Thread’

How Marie Kondo sparked an idea that leads to a fast-growing personal brand

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Mastery Den, Tuesday Edition, raining in Sofia, 4.5-min read.

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Does your environment spark joy in you right now?

Minimalist declutterer TV host Marie Kondo is known for her catchphrase: ‘Hey wiseguy, but does it spark joy?’

(I may be paraphrasing)

Her philosophy on good living is encapsulated within this short slogan. And it has brought her significant success.

Her book: ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” (2011) has sold over 12 million copies.

As brand-builders, we can learn something here. When applied to personal branding, I call this pithy statement your ‘Golden Thread.’

It’s the central philosophy that guides your brand and much, if not all, of your content.

Like an unbreakable thread, it runs through your whole brand, strengthening it from the inside.

This philosophy should first be tied to your personal passion and zone of mastery (the stuff you’re great at and energised by).

If your work doesn’t energise you first and foremost, you’re in trouble. The Golden Thread philosophy ensures you don’t meander off track.

For me at Mastery Den, I express it this way:

‘I help creators connect with their true voice, so they move others to find theirs.’

This philosophy often guides my writing and choices for products and so on.

With every piece I write, I ask, ‘Will this help you move towards connecting with your true voice?’

This is why I create stuff around both writing and confidence, for example.

I have products on overcoming psychological blocks, anxiety, but also writing. both are voice-related.

Of course, this doesn’t mean I only write about confident communication. I can create content about monetising one’s writing, for example, but it will be connected to the core need to first build that audience using the power of connecting with your authentic voice.

Finding your true voice sits at the heart of any post or product I create.

It’s the brand’s greatest priority.

Make sense?

The dragon imagery I use frequently relates to the fiery part of you that is connected to something deeper. It makes for more honest, emotional writing, which will build your confidence and grow your brand far better than following a false, critical, censored voice.

The dragon has been frequently associated with higher consciousness and wisdom, which is precisely what I want my brand to help foster in you.

I won’t limit myself to writing about only this, but I use it as a uniting guide that keeps the brand consistent and my expertise in this area amplified.

This clear theme/philosophy ensures I attract the right people, retaining those who resonate.

It means I can talk about what energises me the most.

It’s amazing how much creativity can erupt from a small idea.

Here’s how you can develop your own unifying Golden Thread philosophy **for your growing brand:

• List your top 5 most liked pieces of content or ideas (both by you and your followers).

• Find the common theme or approach that emerges from those pieces.

• Ask yourself: ‘What is one unique perspective I bring to the field?’

• Consider: ‘What is the one principle that consistently drives my best work?’

• Distill your answers into a single, clear statement or question.

For example, ‘I help people improve their lives by focusing on the handful of things that spark the most joy.’ (That would be Marie Kondo’s).

Don’t overthink this. I know how easy that is.

You don’t need to slam-dunk this immediately. This kind of thing may evolve over time as you settle on what fits.

It may change over the years as you change.

The key is that you have direction at any stage of the journey, which guides the ship and keeps you focused on what matters.

This starts with a narrow, easy-to-express statement, philosophy or theme for your brand.

Now, get out there and create something remarkable.

. . .

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