Leaning Into What Makes You Different
A few months ago, I watched the Yacht Rock documentary. Before you scoff, you can’t really listen to enough Michael McDonald. There. I said it.
Although I knew the band Steely Dan well from incredible songs like Peg and Hey Nineteen (plus influence from my musical brother growing up), I had no idea that Steely Dan created an entire industry of music (which continues today).
When Walter Becker and Donald Fagen started Steely Dan in the early 1970s, the music industry had a simple model:
- Tour relentlessly
- Chase radio hits
- Fit into a popular sound
They refused.
Instead, they focused on studio perfectionism—recording obsessively until each track was exactly what they wanted.
They blended jazz, rock, and brainy lyrics in a way nobody else did.
They rarely toured. They didn’t chase Top 40 radio. They made records their way—slowly, carefully, brilliantly.
At first, they confused a lot of people.
But by sticking to their Tilt (what makes them different), they built a loyal following that respected their precision, depth, and creativity.
Steely Dan became one of the most influential music acts of the 20th century—not because they were “popular” in the traditional sense, but because they owned a category no one else touched.
So here’s a question for you?
What’s the one thing you can do that no one else can? What’s the one area you can own and be the world’s leading expert (or as Jay Acunzo would say, someone’s favorite).
When I wrote the mystery/thriller The Will to Die, I believed I had an inside track to talk specifically about a murder mystery combined with marketing and the funeral industry. That was my Tilt (at least for that book).
The same thing happened for content marketing. While I wasn’t alone, I had an edge because I dabbled in both the publishing and marketing worlds.
How to Find Your Tilt
It wasn’t long ago that humans were rewarded for fitting in and going along with the pack. That, thankfully, is no longer the case.
Now and into the future, freedom means leaning into what makes you different…your Tilt.
You don’t need a master plan. You need a direction strong enough to start.
- List 10 things you’re endlessly curious about.
There are no wrong answers here. - Find the uncommon link.
Where are two or three ideas connecting in a way nobody’s noticed? - Pick an audience.
Who needs this? Who’s underserved? - Own the weirdness.
If you sound like everyone else, you’re doing it wrong.
If you already have a Tilt, use the four questions above as a litmus test. Does it pass?
The Death of Your Plan B
I’ve been going down the focus rabbit hole for the past few weeks.
Look at the most successful people in the world, from John D. Rockefeller to Bill Gates to Serena Williams.
They picked one thing. They didn’t have a Plan B. They became the domain experts around an idea or craft that changed the world.
I’ve struggled with this. Obviously, there is no 100 percent rule of focus. I know a few people who became competent at a bunch of different skills and found success.
Historically, Leonardo da Vinci is probably the most famous and extreme historical example of a person who thrived with many different skills, often called a polymath. He was not only a painter (think Mona Lisa and The Last Supper), but also an inventor, anatomist, engineer, sculptor, architect, musician, and botanist. He was wildly curious and worked across disciplines, which sometimes slowed him down… but it also led to innovations centuries ahead of his time.
In modern times, Tim Ferriss is a great example. He’s written bestsellers (The 4-Hour Workweek), runs one of the top podcasts in the world, is an angel investor (Uber, Shopify, Duolingo), experiments with fitness, language, startup strategy, and more. His success comes from extreme curiosity, fast learning, and then teaching what he learns to others. His brand is built around being a “human guinea pig.”
That said—both da Vinci and Ferriss have one thing in common: while they explore many domains, they focus deeply on one at a time, then turn that mastery into leverage.
Maybe that’s the focus we should be talking about. Focusing on one thing at a time.
(NOTE: I particularly like this thinking because I’m terrible at multitasking. It’s impossible for me. Just ask my wife. That said, I can run and listen to a book at the same time.).
Why Do We Fail?
Most people don’t fail because they’re lazy.
They fail because they’re leaking energy in a thousand directions.
Every half-finished idea, every shiny new opportunity, every unread email and open tab—it all adds up.
It chips away at your time, your clarity, and your willpower.
The Problem with Always Doing More
Creators—especially content entrepreneurs—fall into a trap.
We think:
- More platforms = more growth
- More ideas = more leverage
- More offers = more revenue
What actually happens:
- You dilute your message
- You burn out your audience
- You burn yourself out
The truth?
Your power is in your constraint.
The smaller your focus, the bigger your impact. We need to go deeper on one thing at a time.
What the Data Says
- A University of London study found that switching between tasks drops IQ performance temporarily by up to 15 points. That’s worse than being high.
- The Tilt Creator Economy Study shows that creators with one core platform and one offer scale faster—and experience less burnout—than those juggling five different things.
- A study published in Psychological Science found that people are significantly happier and more productive when focused on one meaningful task than when multitasking, even if they think they’re being more efficient.
The Golden Rule
This is the filter I’ve used for years.
Every time a new opportunity pops up (and it will), run it through this filter:
- Does it build your audience?
- Does it build your asset?
- Does it serve your long game?
If not, it’s a no.
You don’t need a to-do list. You need a don’t-do list.
Warren Buffett and Bill Gates Meet
One of my favorite stories.
Bill Gates did not want to meet Warren Buffett. He did not think they’d have anything in common. But at the urging of Meg Greenfield (the Washington Post editor at the time) they met on July 4th, 1991. Gates was nervous and was dreading the meeting.
Greenfield gave both a sheet of paper and asked each to write down the one word that is their key to success. Both, as it happened, wrote down the same word.
Focus.
From that day, the two became best friends.
Using the Focus Filter
Use this quick filter to evaluate any new opportunity, idea, or distraction. If it doesn’t pass at least 3 of these 5, it’s a no for now.
Does it align with my current Tilt (how you differentiate yourself and your business)?
If it doesn’t deepen your niche, it distracts from it.
Does it directly build my audience or asset?
Audience = trust. Asset = leverage. Everything else is noise.
Can I do this consistently for 6–12 months?
If not, it’s a hobby or a distraction—not a strategy.
Will this move me closer to my one big goal?
Clarity dies when you chase parallel priorities.
Would future-me thank me for doing this now?
If not, it might be ego or FOMO driving the decision.
Score:
- 5/5 = Go. Lock it in.
- 3–4 = Maybe. Park it in your “Later” list.
- 0–2 = Nope. Burn it.
Bonus Tip: Revisit your active projects once per month using this filter. Most of your best breakthroughs come from cutting, not adding.