# Stay the course

By [erik](https://paragraph.com/@eriko) · 2025-03-16

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![on a quest rn, talk later](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/ef1bd20953c3bf1b99c195e6b80581a1b88073b83accabd9448b7ce1909a5c7e.png)

on a quest rn, talk later

_Instead of rushing into clarity, learn to move through the unknown. Use your instincts, gut feeling, and sense for what sparks joy as the guide._

### Resist early validation

In our dAtA-dRivEn world, validation feels like progress. But new ideas rarely fit old metrics. Don’t force product-market fit before your idea has grown its own wings. The greatest products in history would’ve been killed by early feedback. Trust your instincts first.

### Dodge external pressure

Mid-journey, it’s easy to let external forces nudge you into producing, compromising, and proving things too soon.

Distractions, à la the ‘next shiny object’ kind, can pull your focus before things even take root, dragging you toward immediate answers when you should be diving deeper into the unknown.

### Creating is iterating

Uncertainty isn't just a phase in the beginning—it's a constant loop. Iteration compounds; simple moves start to _{conn|inters}ect_ in ways you couldn’t predict.

Every step forward is progress. Every dead-end, a teacher. Embrace the unknown. Breakthroughs always arrive unannounced <3

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_What will feel so clear, obvious, and natural in the end to everyone else started off as a fuzzy mess only you could see._

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*Originally published on [erik](https://paragraph.com/@eriko/stay-the-course)*