The Curse of Ability
Sometimes the greatest barrier to wisdom isn’t ignorance, it’s talent.
If you’re the kind of person who can get things done swiftly, you have no blockers writing through creative blocks, starting a new project, spinning up a landing page, deploying new software, and pushing a product live in a weekend, this one’s for you.
You move fast. You get things done. People admire your initiative.
But there’s a hidden cost to your ability. One that sneaks in quietly.
It’s not burnout. It’s not impostor syndrome. It’s something more subtle:
You’re executing faster than you’re thinking.
When Speed Becomes the Enemy
I’ve launched products before fully defining the problem.
I’ve registered domains before validating the idea.
I’ve shipped systems before, asking who would use them or if they should exist at all.
The irony? I did it all with pride. With momentum.
But when you’re gifted, speed becomes deceptive.
You mistake action for clarity. You confuse movement with strategy.
Your ability allows you to bypass the challenging parts - the ones that require you to grapple with ambiguity, friction, and depth.
The Waste We Don’t Talk About
We don’t talk enough about the waste that comes from talent unchecked:
Hours spent building what shouldn’t exist.
Emotional fatigue from seeing promising ideas fall flat, not because they were wrong, but because they were rushed.
Trust is lost when teammates sense motion without meaning.
The cruel part? You were right - just too early. You executed before the idea was ready to stand.
Pause & Reflect
Let’s try something.
Think of the last 3 things you built or started.
Now ask yourself:
Did I deeply validate the problem?
Did I give myself time to think before building?
Did I seek diverse feedback before execution?
Now flip the script:
What’s an idea you abandoned?
Was it bad?
Or was it just half-baked when you launched it?
Be honest with yourself.
A Counter-Discipline: Design Before Build
Here’s what I’m learning (slowly, painfully, but thankfully):
Speed is good.
But friction is necessary.
Friction is the tension that births clarity. It’s the drag that sharpens your direction.
Here are 3 simple tools I now use to build less and think more:
The Idea Parking Lot
Write it down. Let it sit for a week.
Still excited? Revisit it. If not, you saved yourself weeks of premature effort.
The Thinking Partner Rule
Before executing something important, I now run it by someone different from me — a designer, PM, user, or non-technical friend. I want friction, not echo.
Clarity Gates
Before code:
Who is this for?
What exactly does it solve?
What would success look like 6 months from now?
If I can’t answer these, I’m not ready to build. Not yet.
To My Fellow Builders
This piece isn’t asking you to slow down.
It’s asking you to slow down just enough to aim.
Being capable isn’t bad. But capability without discipline can lead to waste, regret, and burnout masquerading as productivity.
And here’s the most dangerous thing:
You might never know what brilliant idea you killed by launching it too soon.
A Better Way Forward
These days, I still build.
But I also pause.
I journal. I ask dumb questions.
I walk. I reflect.
Sometimes, I resist the urge to buy another domain.
Because I’ve realized:
It’s not about how fast you ship.
It’s about what survives the shipping.
If this hit a nerve, I’d love to hear from you. What’s something you launched too early? And what would you do differently now?
Bonus: Tools That Helped Me Grow
The Creative Act – Rick Rubin
Thinking in Systems – Donella Meadows
The Spirit of Leadership – Myles Munroe
Four Thousand Weeks – Oliver Burkeman
The Dip – Seth Godin