The Purple Cow & How To Milk It in Every Area of Life
Standing Out Isn’t Optional Anymore—It’s Survival. But What Do You Do After You Stand Out?
"In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is failing. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible."
— Seth Godin, Purple Cow
The Problem With Being Ordinary
We’re drowning in a sea of sameness.
Whether you're scrolling through Instagram, applying for a job, starting a new business, or even navigating relationships — everything looks the same. Everyone is selling, promoting, or becoming something remarkably average.
And here’s the kicker: the world doesn’t reward average anymore. It forgets it.
In 2003, Seth Godin released a short book that became a tall order for the world of marketing — Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. His thesis was simple but powerful:
If you drive past a hundred cows, you’ll ignore all of them.
But if one of them is purple, you’ll stop. You’ll stare. You’ll take a picture. You’ll remember.
The Purple Cow is a metaphor for being remarkable in a world that’s learned to tune out the ordinary.
But here’s what’s rarely talked about:
Once you become a Purple Cow, what do you do next?
Can you be a Purple Cow in more than just your work?
How do you milk that distinctiveness across life?
This blog is about exactly that — not just how to be a Purple Cow, but how to milk it.
Across your career, relationships, habits, mind, and money.
Purple Cow 101: The Origins of Standing Out
Let’s first ground ourselves in what Seth Godin really meant.
Marketing used to be about making a product and then pushing it with ads.
Now, marketing is about baking the remarkable into the product itself.
A "Purple Cow" is not a gimmick, trick, or one-off stunt. It's something so valuable and different that people talk about it because they want to, not because you told them to.
Godin's examples ranged from:
JetBlue, which redefined budget flying with leather seats and TV screens.
Starbucks, which didn’t just sell coffee — it sold the "third place" between home and work.
Apple, which made tech emotional and intuitive.
But let’s break it down further.
Key Ingredients of a Purple Cow:
Novelty: It’s unlike the rest.
Utility: It’s useful, not just a showpiece.
Authenticity: It reflects a truth or a belief system.
Emotion: It makes you feel something.
Word-of-mouth Worthy: You’d bring it up in conversation.
Standing out isn’t about being louder.
It’s about being different in a way that matters.
Milking the Purple Cow: The Second Chapter No One Talks About
Here’s what nobody prepares you for:
Once you stand out, people start expecting more.
Your weirdness becomes expected.
Your edge becomes baseline.
In business, this is when brands become predictable.
In careers, it’s when overachievers plateau.
In relationships, it’s when charm becomes routine.
In life, it’s when your identity gets boxed into one dimension.
So how do you milk the Purple Cow?
By turning it from a moment into a system.
Let’s explore how to do this in five key areas of life.
1. Career & Business — Turning Your Quirk Into Currency
Be the Cow:
You’re great at something — say storytelling, design, data visualization, negotiation, or problem-solving. People notice it. You get praise.
That’s your Purple Cow moment.
Now Milk It:
The mistake most professionals make?
They stop at being recognized.
But recognition doesn’t mean leverage.
To milk your edge, you need to:
a) Systemize It
Turn your skill into a repeatable, teachable, scalable framework.
Example: If you're great at simplifying complex ideas, create a newsletter, a workshop, or a curriculum. Don't just be the guy who explains things — own that space.
b) Monetize It
Once you have a system, convert it into income streams — courses, consultations, retainers, IP.
You went from:
"That guy's good with branding"
to
"That guy created a toolkit that helped 200 startups define their voice."
c) Build a Tribe Around It
Find the 1000 true fans who obsess over what you do.
Now you're not just different — you're indispensable.
Real-Life Case:
Marie Forleo turned her distinct voice + actionable motivation into a multi-million dollar brand.
Her Purple Cow? Being the “Oprah of the Internet” meets “tough love coach.”
She milked it through books, speaking tours, a signature program (B-School), and YouTube.
2. Relationships — The Purple Cow of Presence
Most people enter relationships — romantic or platonic — with pre-wrapped versions of themselves. Polished, polite, pleasing.
But real magic happens when you show up as a Purple Cow.
Be the Cow:
That might mean you're:
Emotionally articulate in a culture of emotional avoidance.
Weirdly specific in your affections.
The one who sends voice notes instead of texts.
The partner who celebrates their person like it’s opening night — every day.
Now Milk It:
a) Ritualize It
Turn your oddity into a ritual. If you’re the “letter writer,” send one every month. If you make playlists, drop a new one every season.
Your uniqueness becomes a habit — and habits make people feel safe.
b) Teach It
Model that behavior for others. Invite your friends or partner into your world — how you communicate, how you listen, how you surprise.
You’re not just standing out. You’re elevating others.
c) Make It Scalable
This one sounds weird, but hear me out:
Not every relationship needs to be one-on-one.
Start sharing publicly what you practice privately — your approach to connection, rituals, kindness. That’s how personal presence becomes public leadership.
Real-Life Case:
Jay Shetty turned his personal relationship philosophy into books, podcasts, retreats.
He began with monk-like reflection.
He milks it by making empathy a business.
3. Health & Habits — Being the Outlier on Purpose
Ever noticed how most people set goals in January and forget them by February?
Because ordinary habits create ordinary lives.
Be the Cow:
Maybe your Purple Cow is:
Fasting when everyone’s feasting.
Cold plunging at 5 am.
Lifting weights when your age group gives up.
Being the person who meditates at airport lounges.
People think it’s “too much.” That’s the point.
Now Milk It:
a) Track & Share
Document the gains, not to brag — but to reflect. Others will get inspired. And when they do, you start building a reputation.
b) Teach From the Journey
Turn your transformation into templates. If you lost weight, don’t just post before/after — explain your mindset, mistakes, and momentum.
c) Become a Category
Don’t just be the person who does the thing. Be the person who represents the thing.
You’re not “someone who eats clean.”
You’re “the high-performance clarity guy.”Not “the guy who runs.”
But “the no-excuses, 10K-before-sunrise” archetype.
Real-Life Case:
David Goggins. Enough said.
His Purple Cow? Mental toughness, raw truth, and ridiculous discipline.
He milks it through books, challenges, and pure authenticity.
4. Money & Assets — The Purple Cow Portfolio
In investing, playing it safe often means staying poor slowly.
And being weird, if done right, means getting rich quietly.
🐄 Be the Cow:
You may:
Invest in offbeat ideas — collectibles, Web3, African markets, art.
Start a boring but cash-rich niche business.
Avoid debt in a world obsessed with leverage.
The Purple Cow in finance? Playing a long game in a short-term world.
Now Milk It:
a) Build Anti-Fragility
Don’t just chase alpha. Build buffers. Use your unique capital allocation strategy to weather storms while others are liquidating.
b) Teach Your Thesis
Why did you invest where others didn't?
Why did you avoid the hype?
Now you’re not just someone with returns — you’re someone with conviction.
c) Use Wealth as Stage, Not Cage
The richest people don’t show off. They deploy.
Use your wealth to fund projects, art, products, or people that extend your uniqueness into the world.
Real-Life Case:
Naval Ravikant.
He didn’t just get rich — he turned his financial philosophy into a movement.
He became a Purple Cow because of how differently he viewed wealth.
5. Thought & Identity — The Internal Purple Cow
All outer difference stems from inner clarity.
The people who stand out most aren’t always the loudest — but the clearest in who they are.
Be the Cow:
Maybe you’re someone who:
Thinks slowly in a world that reacts instantly.
Believes in ancient wisdom while embracing AI.
Practices Stoicism in a hyper-reactive culture.
Mixes science and spirit.
Your internal compass is your edge.
Now Milk It:
a) Publish Your Philosophy
Even if no one reads it. Write essays, journals, or manifestos. Clarity compounds.
b) Teach, Don’t Preach
Share your frameworks, not your opinions. Help others think, don’t tell them what to think.
c) Integrate with Action
Nothing’s more powerful than a thinker who builds.
People who do, based on what they believe, don’t just create impact.
They become movements.
Real-Life Case:
Paul Graham, Naval, Morgan Housel, James Clear — thinkers who packaged mental clarity into cultural capital.
The Cow That Keeps on Giving
In a world full of noise, the most human thing you can do is be unmistakably you — in public, in private, in profit, and in peace.
But remember:
Being a Purple Cow is not the end game.
It’s just the invitation to the game.
Milking the Cow means:
Turning weirdness into workflow.
Turning instincts into systems.
Turning attention into alignment.
Turning differentiation into durability.
Because being different gets you noticed.
But staying useful gets you remembered.
And staying true gets you respected.
So the next time someone notices your edge, ask:
How can I turn this into something that serves me, and serves the world?
That’s how you milk the cow.
Bonus: Purple Cow Questions for Self-Reflection
Here’s how to get started milking your own:
What’s something I do differently that others find odd or inspiring?
How can I build a system around it?
What rituals can I create to make this part of my identity?
How can I serve others through this difference?
Where can I turn this quirk into value — emotional, social, financial, spiritual?
Final Thought
In the age of AI, automation, and abundance — your only real edge is you.
So find the Purple Cow in you.
And don’t just admire it.
Milk it.