By One massive hurdle for would-be creators is feeling that everything they say must represent a hill they’re willing to die on. Sure, if you’re publicly taking a stance, it should genuinely reflect your beliefs. But nobody is actually dying on these hills. It’s not that serious.
There’s tremendous value in the philosophy of “strong beliefs, loosely held.” Absolutely, take a stance. State your perspective clearly and confidently. But never forget you’re allowed to change your mind. Admitting you’re wrong or updating your thinking isn’t weakness; it’s growth. It’s precisely this openness to feedback and new information that allows you to sustain creativity over the long term.
I’m thinking of my recent blog post, “No, I Will Not A/B Test That.” I still stand by it — with respect to my current work challenges. You, agency owner who’s running multi-million-dollar campaigns for clients, should probably A/B test the thing. There’s a reason my headline was written in first person. But here’s the thing: it got people talking. A lot of smart folks agreed with me, and a lot of smart folks disagreed with me. (Nevermind they weren’t fully on board with my premise; I never said don’t test anything.) There’s now an open loop that allows me to revisit the piece later on. Some potential future headlines? “I Will Still Not A/B Test That,” or “I A/B Tested That and I Was Wrong.” I can reference my original post, expound on my thinking, and best of all, grow.
People publicly change their minds all the time. Kara Swisher was once on amicable terms with Elon Musk. Ezra Klein has an ever-evolving stance on AI, both expressing concerns and acknowledging its capabilities. Rand used to believe that being a venture-backed startup was the only way to build a serious tech company. After a decade of doing that, he published a book about how wrong he was (and by the way, here is the unpublished, later-written final chapter). Then he and Casey started SparkToro, raising a uniquely structured round. (For my part, my evolved beliefs have much smaller stakes. I used to think pumpkin spice lattes were an abomination, but now I think it’s just really nice that PSL lovers have a season to look forward to. Even though I still won’t drink one.)
Every piece you publish doesn’t have to be a definitive final statement. Instead, think of it as part of an ongoing conversation. Every blog post, tweet, or video is an idea you can expand on, refine, revisit with new examples, or reframe with greater nuance. To embrace iterative content creation:
- Regularly revisit and reflect on older content to identify new angles or additional insights. (Ahem, and maybe A/B test the thing after all.)
- Maintain a journal or digital notes app to capture new ideas as they arise.
- Actively invite and engage with audience feedback, treating your content as a collaborative dialogue rather than a monologue.
You can even openly admit when your perspective has evolved. In fact, the people who are paying the closest attention might even respect you more when they see genuine intellectual humility and adaptability.
The hardest part will always be starting. So just do it. What’s truly the worst that could happen? Someone will say you’re wrong, and you’ll… agree with them?
You don’t need to turn every idea into your entire personality. Your ideas are stepping stones toward your growth. Keep stepping.