Somewhere along the line — probably in school — we were taught that the most valuable thing we could offer the world is something original. A fresh idea. A new angle no one’s thought of before.
And that belief has stuck. We glorify originality in business, writing, tech, even intelligence. We think if it’s not completely new, it’s not worth doing.
I think that’s nonsense.
Not because new ideas don’t matter — they do — but because chasing originality stops most people from ever starting. We overthink. “Hasn’t this already been done?” “Someone’s said this better.” So we stall.
But the truth is, most of what actually works isn’t original. It’s better. It’s clearer, more useful, more accessible. It builds on what’s already there.
Steve Jobs didn’t invent the graphical interface — he refined what Xerox built.
Google wasn’t the first search engine — it was just the fastest, cleanest, and most accurate. Facebook wasn’t the first social network — it just nailed exclusivity, identity, and virality. iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player — it was just the one that actually made sense to use. Atomic Habits didn’t invent habit psychology — it just made it stick.
This is the stuff that lands. Not originality — execution.
So here’s the better approach:
Don’t try to be the first. Be the one who makes it clearer, simpler, faster, smarter. Be the one who actually gets it done.
We don’t need more geniuses.
We need more people doing work that they love — even if it’s been done before.
3D5G 