The Conflict Within – The Art of Creation
Why Innovation Feels Terrifying and How to Forge a New Path
The Price of Originality
Original thought?
Never heard one
Never seen one
Never had one
Never will
Only…
If I ever did
Never likely, as may be
Never saying never
I never would know it …
Have you ever had an idea that set your soul on fire—only to feel paralyzed when it was time to act? I’ve had a few of those in my life.
That, my friend, is the paradox of creativity: we crave originality but fear the judgment, the work and the risk that comes with it. Every great leap forward in art, technology, or business was born from someone willing to confront a terrifying truth: creating something new feels dangerous—because it is.
I address that in my BBC interview here. That feeling of inadequacy that we all face. If you’re ambitious, driven and want to succeed more than anything, then you’ve also felt the angst of imposter syndrome- self-doubt of intellect, skills, or accomplishments. Imagine, despite several degrees up to masters level, travelling the world, meeting global leaders, starting and running multi-million dollar businesses, I still questioned my ability to write a blog, start a podcast or make myself the name and face of my own brands.
If not me, then who? And why not me?
Why Innovation Feels Like Danger
Your brain was designed for safety, not originality. Every time you try something new, your ancient wiring screams:
“Stop! This is risky! No one has done this before!” But thats not true is it? The world would not be what it is if we were not constantly pushing the envelope, extending the limits of what is possible.
Steven Pressfield, in The War of Art, calls this “invisible force” Resistance—a universal, psychological enemy that rises whenever we attempt meaningful work. The more important the project, the stronger the resistance.
It’s not laziness or procrastination (but it could be that too!:). It’s survival instinct.
To survive, we almost always choose the path of least resistance. That path is also the path of least growth or no growth. Beware.
Society’s Bias Against New Ideas
Humanity loves familiarity. Psychologists call this the status quo bias—a preference for what we know, even when change would help us.
This is why innovators—from Nikola Tesla to modern entrepreneurs—struggle to gain support.
Convincing others to believe in your vision feels like asking them to step off a cliff with you. Because, truth be told - that is exactly what they are doing.
The unfamiliar doesn’t just scare you alone—it scares everyone!
Most of your friends and family will say no or give you a thousand reasons why its a bad idea or not a good idea. Understand that what they are saying to you is mostly and often but not always their own unfulfilled dreams and fears speaking. Sometimes your idea is just silly and you need to hear it!
Having a vision is not enough. You also need to be full of courage and bold in a world that will only follow you once you’ve marked a clear path.
The Inner War of Creation
Innovation doesn’t just trigger external skepticism—it sparks internal chaos: The Conflict Within.
• Anxiety – What if I fail?
• Imposter Syndrome – Who am I to create this?
• Fear of Isolation – What if no one understands?
These conflicts create paralysis. We stay stuck because staying stuck feels safer than stepping into the unknown, into the abyss. Fear of finding yourself and discovering that there was nothing to be afraid of in the first place. Fear of waking up and taking accountability. Finally realising that we can all do it and we are all mere mortals. We are all going to die and there is nothing to be afraid of. Because if you go down this path, this is where you are headed.
That is the paradox of choice and action.
Robert Frost's Poem "The Road Not Taken": reflects on a path diverged, acknowledging that the path taken dictates future possibilities. The line "way leads on to way" suggests that decisions are not isolated but rather create a cascade of interconnected choices.
To make things happen, you have to make things.
So you are never just choosing for now but potentially forever. Each choice shapes who you are, who you will become and you can not unselect a choice already made. Each choice is like a tattoo on your soul. It is the very thing that makes you unique. That makes you, you. And in that, there is power that belongs only to you.
What Kind of Person Forges the Path?
Those who create despite fear share these traits:
- Courage – Feeling fear and moving forward anyway
- Resilience – Bouncing back from rejection
- Vision and belief – Seeing possibilities others can’t yet imagine
As Carl Jung observed, creation often requires integration of the shadow—the parts of us we reject or repress. This includes not only fear and doubt, but also ambition and drive. The more we understand and accept all parts of ourselves, the more power we have to create authentically.
We all live on a mental spectrum. Making the necessary adjustments to succeed is easier for some than others. The reality is that we are not all built the same and we can not all be entrepreneurs. There is however, space for everyone. All you have to do is understand who you are and find your lane and once you are in it, own it! In your search, be expansive, question everything.
First Principles
Elon Musk, one of the most prolific innovators of our time (completely ignoring the politics on this one - and just for fun my next blog series is based on Donald Trump!:), embodies the mindset required to walk paths never walked before. He advocates for "first principles thinking"—a mental model that breaks problems down to their most fundamental truths and builds solutions from scratch.
Rather than reasoning by analogy (“this is how it’s always been done”), Musk encourages boiling ideas down to basic truths and rebuilding from there. He explains:
“I think people’s thinking process is too bound by convention or analogy to prior experiences… You look at the fundamentals and construct your reasoning from that … and then you see if you have a conclusion that works or doesn’t work.”
When building SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk didn’t accept things “as they’ve always been.” He used first principles thinking—breaking problems down to their most fundamental truths.
His 3-step method:
1. Identify assumptions
2. Break them down to the core (laws of physics, raw materials, base truths)
3. Rebuild from scratch
In a world where Society is biased against new ideas - reasoning by analogy almost makes the most sense. Reasoning by analogy is a method where one draws conclusions about something new based on its similarities to something old (already known). It involves comparing two different things, identifying their shared characteristics, and then inferring that they likely share other characteristics as well. This type of reasoning is often used to explain, persuade, and understand new concepts. There is a flaw in this approach though and if it wasnt obvious, it is the fact that by doing so, you limit yourself to what has already been. And while this feels safe, it is not groundbreaking and chances are other people are doing the same thing too, making it competitive.
First Principles Real-world example:
- Musk found that the raw materials for rockets cost only 2% of their price—so he built his own rockets, slashing costs.
- Battery packs were assumed to cost $600/kWh. Musk broke down the materials (nickel, aluminum, cobalt), and realized the true cost was closer to $80/kWh.
By challenging assumptions and not reasoning by analogy, he built companies that redefined entire industries.
First principles thinking is a radical form of creative courage. It aligns with the psychological battle every creator faces. It gives permission to ignore the status quo and trust your internal vision.
First principles thinking is useful in any creative process:
- What do you believe about your own capabilities or industry that might not be true?
- Where have you been relying on analogy, and what might change if you started from first principles?
The Antidote: Rest as Resistance
Here’s the twist: Creativity thrives in stillness.
Great ideas rarely come when we’re frantically hustling. They emerge in gaps—a quiet walk, a moment of reflection, an afternoon nap. Rest is a rebellious act in a culture that glorifies overwork.
Rest is not a retreat. It’s an advancement strategy.
Try this:
- Block 30 minutes for unstructured thinking every day
- Replace doom-scrolling with mindful boredom—let your thoughts wander
- Use “creative rest” to reset before burnout sets in
- Travel to distant and wonderful places - check out le.haus
- Exercise as rest… Let your body do the work while your mind switches off
Le Haus: Challenging Conventional Models
Le Haus is a modern embodiment of creative disruption—challenging outdated paradigms in real estate, hospitality, and ownership. Much like Elon Musk applies first principles to rockets and batteries, Le Haus applies first principles to how we think about 'holiday homes, travel and place'.
Traditionally, we’ve had these rigid options:
- Hotels: Expensive, impersonal, and temporary.
- Timeshares: Often inflexible, with hidden costs and little control.
- Home ownership: High barrier to entry, debt-heavy, and geographically limiting.
- (And recently) Airbnbs: Inconsistent quality, no long term value for guests, limited to one stay and no community or programming
Le Haus strips these models down to their foundational assumptions:
- People want beautiful, functional spaces.
- They want flexibility and value for money without sacrificing the sense of ownership.
- They value experiences and community over static square footage.
From this lens, Le Haus rebuilds a model centered on:
- A sense of ownership through a lifetime membership without the headaches of a timeshare or owning a holiday home.
- A curated design and lifestyle experience with the warmth of home.
- The freedom to access multiple locations without starting over.
In essence, Le Haus is for creators, nomads, entrepreneurs, and modern thinkers—those unafraid to challenge tradition and design life on their own terms.
Reflection Prompt
What unfinished idea have you been avoiding—and what would happen if you gave it just one hour a day?
What conventions in your own life are you living by—simply because “that’s how it’s always been done”? And how might you reinvent them?
References
- Pressfield, S. The War of Art
- Kahneman, D. Thinking, Fast and Slow
- Jung, C.G. Modern Man in Search of a Soul
- Robert Frost. The Road not Taken