Your creator zygote is the hidden talent which underlies most—if not all—of your best work.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “zygote” is the original single cell that you once were, which contained the entire genetic blueprint for creating the full human body you are today—even though it was smaller than a grain of sand at the time.
In a similar way, although your creator zygote is also small in that it can usually be encapsulated in a single sentence, it contains the recipe for the entire “body” of creative work you have done, and will do, during your lifetime.
A key characteristic of a creator zygote is that it is domain independent, which means that you can apply it across a wide range of subjects, industries, and projects, and still achieve remarkable results.
When you have clarity on yours, you can consciously engineer it into your working life, and choose projects which will allow you to leverage it for maximum effect.
What follows are a series of questions designed to help you clarify your own.
I’ll answer each as we move along, so you have an example of how this looks in practice.
1.) In which of my zone of genius activities do I create the greatest amount of impact and reward, with the least amount of struggle?
For me, this would be:
Creating learning experiences for others.
2a.) When I’m at my best in this activity, what specific patterns, methods, or ways of thinking make my results different from most other people?
Or, if you find that difficult to answer, try this question instead:
2b.) If someone shadowed me while I was doing this, what would they notice I do differently that leads to the exceptional results I experience in this area?
Typically I:
- Choose a subject I am interested in
- Draw from a wide range of sources to learn from, integrating as many perspectives as possible
- Curate the most valuable insights to find the signal in the noise
- Combine, organise, and connect the ideas in a unique way that creates value for others.
3.) If I step back and take a bird’s‑eye view, what’s the underlying pattern here—something I could extract and apply (and may already have applied) across other creative projects too?
In my case, this is:
Curating, organising, and connecting ideas in a unique way that creates value for others.
4.) Are there any other areas where I have applied this ability in the past? Or that I can apply it going forward?
— Writing blog posts
— Creating lecture days
— Preparing for podcast interviews
— Creating newsletters
— Creating summits
— Building online courses
— Setting up discussions between previously unconnected speakers for our YouTube channel
— Writing this book
5.) If I had to express this pattern in a single sentence—one that begins with “I create extraordinary results by…”—what would that sentence be?
I create extraordinary results by curating and combining ideas in a unique way that creates value for others.
