Standing Still is Moving Backward: Why Good Ideas Aren't Enough Anymore
Creativity in Uncertainty
Recently, I've been observing something troubling in our creative landscape: having good ideas isn't enough anymore.
I think about this all the time. While everyone is searching for that one magic skill that will make them fly, the reality is more complex.
In today's world, standing still - even with brilliant ideas - means falling behind. Nothing is really that simple. Never has been, never will be.
I would love to give you a tiny neat framework and say, okay, go from A to B to C and you'll be golden. But it doesn't work like that.
We are complex systems living within complex systems. What consistently shows up in my observations over the last few years is a unique blend of two skills or traits that we need: creativity and tenacity.
To a degree, they're traits, and to a degree, they're skills. You can definitely hone them – they're not a given. Some people have more from the get-go, but everyone can develop these capabilities. That’s when your growth mindset should enter the stage.
The Creative Paradox
You may be creative, and I know many creative people who have good ideas – solid ideas that you could take and develop into something meaningful. But if that's the only thing, and it's not paired with tenacity, then you might have a problem. By tenacity, I don't just mean a bias to action or an adequate sense of urgency. It's something deeper.
In today's world that is so saturated, so uncertain, and shifting so rapidly, you need to be prepared for the reality that even though your idea is good or could be good, it might not fly. It might just fizzle out for many different reasons. Sometimes it's timing. Sometimes it's execution. Sometimes it's many things colliding at once.
The Hidden Challenge of Going Solo
Many people quit their 9-to-5 jobs because they want to create something they value, something more aligned with who they are. But they often don't realize just how much tenacity you need to keep trying relentlessly in a very uncertain, volatile, complex environment that will often keep you stretched to the max. There's so much burnout, so much heartache, and so much disillusionment.
The really smart ones understand something crucial: while ordinary people try to build following, the successful ones build networks.
This is perhaps the biggest differentiator in today's landscape. When you're just doing things and not getting the response you hope for, you will doubt yourself, your work, everything. You'll question and second-guess because that's the natural way of things when you're sending your work into the void and exposing your vulnerabilities.
Beyond Simple Resilience
Here's something important to understand: resilience is about withstanding the elements and surviving, but tenacity is about not just surviving, but thriving. Or at least doing everything you can to thrive.
But – and this is crucial – tenacity isn't just about hustling.
It's about being in control because creativity doesn't thrive when you're in a panic zone, freezing or freaking out. Stress shuts off parts of your brain that would be accessed in a normal state. It makes you smarter in survival mode, but not in creative mode.
Running to Stand Still: The Red Queen Effect
In Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass," there's a powerful scene where Alice finds herself running alongside the Red Queen, only to realize she's staying in exactly the same place. The Red Queen explains,
"Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that."
This Red Queen Effect perfectly captures our current creative landscape.
The barrier to entry for becoming a creator is at an all-time low – anyone can start a YouTube channel, write a blog, or launch a podcast. But this accessibility is a double-edged sword. While it's easier than ever to start, it's harder than ever to stand out. You have to run faster and faster just to maintain your position, let alone advance.
The Paralysis of Perfection
Here's where many creators get stuck: waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect equipment, the perfect skills. But here's the truth – making imperfect decisions is infinitely better than making no decisions at all. I have a hard time with this as well, but we're never going to have the perfect timing, the right number of resources, or the exact right moment to act.
Stagnation is catastrophic for creative growth. When you're not moving forward in an ever-changing space where competition grows daily, you're not actually staying still – you're falling behind. This doesn't mean you need to post content daily, but you should be working on something daily, even if it's just thinking about what you'll create over the weekend.
The Mathematics of Momentum
The equation is simple but demanding: it takes at least twice as much speed and effort than you might think to break through. This isn't about toxic productivity – it's about understanding the reality of our environment. The time will pass anyway, so you might as well use it to your advantage.
Think about it this way: your first video, article, or creation won't be perfect. I cringe when I read my first posts. But that's not the point. The point is that you get better and better as you continue to publish, as you continue to move forward. Unlike the Red Queen's race, where you're running to stay in place, each imperfect action in the creative space builds upon the last, creating momentum and growth.
So, Now What?
The path forward isn't just about pushing through blindly. It's about maintaining that difficult balance between persistent action and strategic patience. It's about knowing when to push forward and when to step back and reassess.
This combination of creativity and tenacity, when properly balanced, creates a framework for not just surviving but genuinely thriving in today's complex landscape.
We need both skills working in harmony: the creative spirit that generates fresh ideas and the tenacious drive that sees them through to reality. But most importantly, we need the wisdom to know how to balance these forces, when to push and when to pause, when to create and when to persist.
This is the combination that fascinates me the most right now, and I believe it's the key to navigating our modern maze of opportunities and challenges.
Success isn't guaranteed – sometimes luck does play a role. But what is guaranteed is that if you're not creating, not moving, not taking those imperfect actions, you're falling behind.
The creative landscape waits for no one, and while balance is crucial (this isn't about burning yourself out), understanding the Red Queen Effect helps us grasp why consistent, imperfect action trumps sporadic perfection every time.
This is the real challenge of our time: finding the sweet spot between creativity and tenacity, between perfect and good enough, between running ourselves ragged and staying in motion. It's about making peace with imperfection while maintaining the drive to improve, about understanding that in today's world, standing still is moving backward.
The key isn't to exhaust ourselves trying to run twice as fast all the time. Instead, it's about being strategic with our energy, making consistent progress, and accepting that our creative journey will be filled with imperfect steps forward rather than perfect leaps. Because in the end, those imperfect steps, taken consistently and with purpose, are what carry us forward in this ever-evolving landscape.
Balancing Creativity and Tenacity
Here are the key practices that can help you maintain this balance in your creative work.
Three Core Strategies
The Minimum Viable Day
Define one small creative action you'll do no matter what
Make it ridiculously achievable (15 minutes of work, writing one paragraph)
Build the habit first, scale up later
Remember: consistency trumps intensity
Energy Management Over Time Management
Identify your peak creative hours and protect them fiercely
Use your high-energy periods for creation, low-energy for admin
Build in regular recovery periods - they're as important as the work
Pay attention to what energizes vs. drains you
Ego Management: Progress Over Perfection
Ship something small every week, even if it's not perfect
Keep a "done list" to track progress
Review old work regularly to see your improvement
Share work-in-progress to build momentum
When You're Stuck
If you're naturally creative but struggle with follow-through:
Focus on completing tiny projects first
Create external accountability
Break everything into 30-minute focused sessions
If you're great at execution but need to nurture creativity:
Schedule regular "play time" with no goals
Expose yourself to ideas outside your field
Practice sitting with uncertainty
Inching Forward
Remember: You don't need to run twice as fast all the time. You just need to keep moving forward consistently, balancing active periods with rest, and trusting that small actions compound over time.
Start with one of these practices. Master it. Then add another. That's how sustainable progress happens.
Stuck in your head too much? Let's turn that overthinking into action.