For Success: Why Acting Fast and Adapting Creatively Matter More Than Talent

If you want to achieve anything meaningful – whether landing a new role, scaling a business, or chasing a big personal goal – talent won’t cut it alone; neither will luck.

Talent is abundant. What truly separates those who succeed from those who stay stuck are two quiet but powerful multipliers: Urgency and Relentless Resourcefulness.

I didn’t always know this. For a long time, I believed success belonged to the most gifted or the best prepared. But over time, through trial, delay, and a few failed bets, I’ve realised my most impactful projects weren’t the ones that started perfectly; they were the ones that moved fast, adapted constantly, and never ran out of curiosity.

Overthinking: The Hidden Enemy of Action

It’s easy to believe we need to have everything figured out before starting. We research endlessly, plan meticulously, and overanalyse what could go wrong. But overthinking doesn’t protect us; it quietly drains momentum.

I’ve caught myself in that loop: waiting for the perfect data, the perfect plan, the perfect time. Yet the irony is that clarity rarely precedes action; it follows it.

Every week we wait for “readiness” is a week we lose feedback that could have made us better. Momentum, once lost, is hard to recover.

The 90-Day Rule: A Practice in Structured Urgency

Eventually, I learned that urgency isn’t about haste; it’s about motion. And motion needs boundaries to stay real. That’s where the 90-day rule changed how I perceive work.

Momentum has a short shelf life. If a project isn’t gaining traction within about 90 days, I now either rework its goals or let it go.

As Anaggh Desai put it in her essay If You Can’t Do It in 90 Days, You Can’t Do It Ever, efforts that don’t gain traction drain your energy like a fading battery.

For me, adopting this mindset has been liberating. The 90-day boundary keeps me honest — it forces me to prioritise what moves and release what stalls.

When I look back, the biggest leaps in my career came after I dropped things that were going nowhere. What I thought was quitting turned out to be clearing runway. Quitting when it’s right is one of the hardest habits to build; but it’s also one of the most rewarding.

The Power of Urgent Momentum

Urgency matters because it forces action. Joseph Cyril Bamford, founder of JCB, once said the biggest reason he succeeded was “a sense of urgency about getting things done.”

Many capable people wait for perfect conditions or endless planning. Spoiler: perfect rarely comes. Starting before you feel ready switches your brain into motion, validates ideas with real-world feedback, and opens unexpected doors.

Behavioural research backs this: procrastination doesn’t just delay progress, it weakens motivation.

I’m still learning to start before I feel ready; each time I do, it gets a little easier.

The Shield and Spear of Resourcefulness

Urgency gets you moving; resourcefulness keeps you moving.

In his classic essay, Being Relentlessly Resourceful, Paul Graham explains that true builders don’t rely on perfect plans – they improvise, adapt, and push through obstacles creatively. When the first, second, or even third idea fails, they find another path.

When was the last time you solved a problem not through brute effort but by thinking sideways – by connecting two unrelated ideas or asking for help from someone unexpected? Those moments are quiet proof that adaptability outclasses raw talent every single time.

Resourcefulness is both the shield that protects you from setbacks and the spear that finds the least-guarded path to your goal.

Anchoring Action with Purpose and People

Still, urgency and resourcefulness alone can’t sustain you. Without a clear why and the right people, speed turns into exhaustion.

Purpose Fuels Urgency

As Simon Sinek reminds us, people don’t follow orders; they follow beliefs. Apple’s rise wasn’t just about technology – it was about a shared belief in simplicity and bold design.

Knowing why you’re doing something, and saying it out loud, turns ordinary work into meaningful pursuit. Purpose becomes the internal battery that keeps urgency alive long after motivation fades.

I’m still learning to slow down enough to reconnect with that why when the noise of busyness gets too loud.

People Multiply Resourcefulness

Leadership isn’t a solo climb. As Derek Sivers shows in How to Start a Movement, the real power lies with the first followers – the ones who turn a solo idea into a shared momentum.

Momentum multiplies when you make others feel like owners, not just onlookers. Influence grows quietly through shared vision and early believers.

(Ideas from Simon Sinek and Derek Sivers need a more in depth thought. May be I will do so in near future. If I do, will link it here once it’s live.)

A Toolkit for Compounding Momentum

These ideas aren’t abstract. They’re learnable habits; small, repeatable disciplines that compound into extraordinary outcomes.

• Set 90-Day Goals: Choose three things that matter most. Reassess on Day 91; if it’s not moving, quit it.
• Act Imperfectly: Train your brain to act first, then adjust. Urgency is a habit; motion clarifies thought.
• Rethink Assumptions: When you hit a wall, ask, “Who knows what I don’t?” or “What unrelated tool could solve this?”
• Share the Why: Keep reconnecting to your purpose and share it openly. Momentum spreads through genuine energy.

I write this as a reminder to myself as much as to anyone reading: these aren’t traits you master once; they’re practices you return to over and over.

Reflection

So, where are you stuck right now?
What project might need urgent action; or the courage to quit?
Who could help you see your problem differently?

Perhaps success isn’t about talent, timing, or even luck; maybe it’s about showing up urgently, solving creatively, and knowing when to let go.

I’m still on that path myself; learning to quit faster, start sooner, and trust the messy middle.

Further Reading & References

• Anaggh Desai: If You Can’t Do It in 90 Days, You Can’t Do It Ever
• Paul Graham: Being Relentlessly Resourceful
• Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action (TED Talk)
• Derek Sivers: How to Start a Movement (TED Talk)
• Joseph Cyril Bamford (JCB Founder) Quote on Success