The Originality Myth: Why Your Ideas Matter More
Article #129 of Life Unlocked - A newsletter by Dr Yath Prem, MD
Dear Friends,
I was chatting with a friend this week, and something he said stuck with me, not because it was groundbreaking, but because it reminded me of something I often forget.
We were talking about how there’s a growing interest in types of wealth that go beyond money things like health wealth, time wealth, social wealth, and knowledge wealth. It feels like there is currently a movement (rightly so) towards building a more balanced life. Sahil Bloom’s new book, The 5 Types of Wealth, captures it brilliantly. But my friend pointed out that these ideas are far from new.
In fact, they’ve been around for centuries.
Hinduism, for instance, has long recognised that a good life isn’t just about material gain. The Purusharthas; artha (material prosperity), dharma (values and duty), kama (pleasure), and moksha (liberation) offer a framework for balanced living that’s deeply aligned with this modern resurgence of "holistic wealth."
And it got me thinking.
Whenever I sit down to write or create content, I catch myself wanting to be original. To say something new, something no one’s thought of before. But honestly, that’s the wrong way to think about it.
The truth is, it’s nearly impossible to come up with something completely new.
But what I can do and what you can do too is share what’s on your mind without fear, even if it’s been said before. When we filter it through our experiences, our culture, and our stories, it becomes something different. Something only we could have expressed in that particular way.
And that’s what gives it value.
Maybe someone out there who’s walking a similar path to me, maybe they’re South Asian like me, maybe they’ve worked in both clinical and tech spaces, or maybe they just think like I do, maybe for them, my content will click in a way that other content doesn’t.
It’s not about being first. It’s about sharing your unique experience.
So here’s what I’m reminding myself this week:
Don’t wait for a fresh, revolutionary idea to strike.
Don’t overthink whether something has already been said.
Just show up, share what’s true for you, and let your perspective do the rest.
Have a great week,
Dr. Yath Prem, MD
Quote of the week:
When we fixate on finding one singular purpose, we rule out the side quests that help us grow the most.
— Anne-Laure Le Cunff (Tiny Experiments)
Recommendations of the week:
My friend Ernest Lim has created potentially one of the best courses you can watch on ‘coding’ in this new era of Cursor and AI-powered coding tools. Although marketed at doctors, Ernest says, Clinician to Creator is “designed to be accessible to anyone who wants to learn to code, and the skills you learn are transferable to any industry.” - check it out here.
Check out this podcast covering the Fall of Baylon (one of the biggest health tech companies of recent times) between Ali Parsa (the founder) and Dr James Somauroo. It’s great whether you’re in the health-tech scene or not. I love learning from mistakes and this one is particularly great for that.
Thanks for reading Life Unlocked! I write these because even if one person resonates with an idea or learns something new, then it’s worthwhile.
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