Allow me to explain how I got here.
Barcelona, late 2024:
I was completing my Master's in Marketing at Esade Business School.
In one class, I learned something simple:
Strong brands have clear identities — and clear identities lead to better decisions.
I wanted that clarity for myself.
So I built The Personal Identity System.
It gave me clarity on what I wanted out of life, what I stood for, and what I wanted to live by.
It also helped me make better decisions.
For instance, the clarity I got from it pulled me away from a career in business development.
I left Celonis on 28th November, 2025.
I wanted to build a career in what I had studied, done most of my internships in, and most importantly, enjoyed:
Marketing.
I discovered personal branding.
I resonated with the concept.
I learned a bit about it and wanted to learn more.
So I applied for a content strategist role at notus (a personal branding agency).
That was my Plan A.
It didn’t work out.
Plan B was me doing my own thing in the personal branding + personal growth space.
As I learned a bit more about the space, I discovered that the personal identity system I had built for myself could be used as the foundation of a personal brand.
When I first created it, in late 2024, I had no intention of sharing it.
I did, however, decide to share it with my parents (both entrepreneurs) a few weeks after I created it.
But that was it. No one else had access to it.
Fast forward to December, 2025 after Plan A didn't work out.
I changed my mind.
I wanted to share it with others.
So I refined it into a version I was ready to share with others.
On 18th December, 2025, I presented it to teenagers at a school in Mumbai, India.
I got good feedback.
It felt good to bring what I had created, out, to the world.
Almost a month after my presentation, I went all in on Plan B — doing my own thing in the personal branding + personal growth space.
I naturally learned a bit more about the personal branding space in the process.
And I discovered that the personal identity system I created could actually fill a gap.
The gap my system is filling
A foundational gap.
At the moment, the personal branding space places a lot of importance on the outer piece.
- Writing posts.
- Launching podcasts.
- Building newsletters.
All of that is great. I’m doing it too.
The missing piece, however, is the foundation.
The inner piece.
The piece that answers what you want out of life, what you stand for, and what you live by.
That is where I started.
When you define this, you gain clarity about yourself.
You can then use this clarity to develop an authentic personal brand.
One where you’ll feel aligned about the content you create.
And one where you'll naturally create or attract opportunities that are aligned to what you want out of life, what you stand for, and what you live by.
I call this: identity- first personal branding.
Identity first. Then action + expression.
Define your identity before you act on it and express it publicly.
Let's build the foundation of your personal brand
The Personal Identity System
Purpose → Values → Principles
- Your purpose gives birth to your values.
- Your values give birth to your principles.
1) Purpose
- Your life’s most important goal. Your North Star.
- It gives you clarity on the path you’re on.
- Once you know the path, you know the direction you must advance in.
Ask yourself: What do I want the most in my life?
Write 1 purpose statement.
Start it with: “To…”
Examples:
- To be the best version of myself.
- To live my truth.
- To do my best in whatever I undertake.
- To add meaning to whatever I work on.
- To attain self-realisation.
- To uplift others.
2) Values
- Traits you already have + traits you want to cultivate because cultivating those traits moves you toward your purpose.
- Values are words. They are not actions yet.
- Values bridge purpose to principles.
Ask yourself:
- What traits do I already have that move me toward my purpose?
- What traits do I want to cultivate because they move me toward my purpose?
Write 3 to 5 values.
The lesser, the better.
Examples:
- Presence
- Joy
- Love
- Discipline
- Clarity
- Courage
3) Principles
- Short actionable “I…” statements that show how you live each value day-to-day.
- Values are words. Principles make the word actionable.
- Principles also remove confusion: a value-word can mean different things to different people; your principle specifies what that value means to you.
Ask yourself: How do I live each value day-to-day?
Write 1 principle for each value.
Keep them short, simple, clear, actionable, specific to you, and in the present tense.
Examples:
- Presence → “I’m present.”
- Joy → “I live joyfully.”
- Discipline → “I do what I say I’ll do.”
- Clarity → “I see things clearly.”
- Courage →“I act courageously.”
Examples
1) An example I made up:
Purpose: To be the best version of myself.
Values: Learning, Determination, Patience.
Principles:
- Learning → “I learn everyday and in every way.”
- Determination → “I finish what I begin.”
- Patience → “I’m patient with myself.”
That is a personal identity. Simple. Clear. Specific.
And it becomes the foundation of that person’s personal brand.
2) My identity:
Purpose: To attain self-realisation.
Values: Presence, Joy, Love.
Principles:
- Presence → “I’m present.”
- Joy → “I live joyfully.”
- Love → “I radiate love.”
Your system is good if
- Your purpose gives you direction.
- Your values move you toward your purpose.
- Your principles help you live your values day-to-day
If it feels complicated, simplify it.
Your turn
Here’s the template.
Build your foundation.
Purpose: To …
Values: - Value 1 - Value 2 - Value 3
Principles:
- Value 1 → “I…”
- Value 2 → “I…”
- Value 3 → “I…”
The rest of your personal brand can be built on this.
Where my system sits in the process of developing a personal brand
Here's my way of developing a personal brand.
I refer to the personal identity system as “Identity” in the process.
Simple Version: [Background] → [Identity] → [Strategy] → Action + Expression
Expanded Version: [Personal + Professional Background] → [Purpose → Values → Principles] → [Positioning → Content Strategy → Action Plan] → Action + Expression
Test it.
Let me know what you think of it!
Thanks for reading,
Yuvraj Mehta
Creators whose work I drew inspiration from to develop this system
- Dandapani: The concept of purpose.
- James Clear: The type of words that can fall into the category of "values" (he's compiled a list of common values) + the idea of limiting the amount of values you have.
- Oriol Iglesias: The concept of principles.
