Why Your Ideas Have No Power (Even Though You're Full of Energy)
I helped a friend rewire an outlet in his garage last year.
We ran the power. Checked the wires with a tester. Everything showed voltage. Hot wire, neutral wire, all lighting up the meter.
Perfect. We thought.
Plugged in a drill. Nothing. Tried a lamp. Nothing.
All the power in the world, but nothing would work.
Turns out the outlet wasn't grounded. The power was there—we could measure it—but it had nowhere to go. It was just floating around in the wires, unable to actually power anything.
We added the ground wire. Suddenly everything worked.
The Pattern I Keep Seeing
I do this with my creative work all the time.
I have energy. I have ideas. I start a novel, then switch to a short story, then pivot to a business idea, then back to the novel but with a completely different approach.
From the outside, it looks like I'm working. I'm busy. I'm generating.
But nothing's getting finished. Nothing's actually powered up.
I'm an ungrounded outlet. Lots of voltage, no results.
What Happens Without Ground
Here's what's weird about ungrounded electricity: it looks like it should work.
The wires are connected. The power is flowing. The tester shows voltage on every wire.
But when you try to use it, nothing happens. The power has nowhere solid to flow to. It's scattered. Unfocused. Useless.
That's exactly what happens when we don't ground our creative work.
We have the energy. We have the ideas. We're "working on things."
But we're chasing one idea, then another. Starting this project, then that one. Committing to a direction on Monday and changing it on Wednesday.
It feels like we're full of creative power. And we are.
We're just not grounded to anything long enough for that power to actually work.
Where This Shows Up
Writers who never finish:
You start a fantasy novel. Three chapters in, you get an idea for a thriller. You switch. Then you remember that memoir you wanted to write. You pivot again.
Each idea has power. Each one could work.
But none of them will—because you're not grounded to any of them long enough to channel your energy into a finished draft.
The power is there. The ground isn't.
Builders who never ship:
You're building a product. Halfway through, you see a competitor doing something different. You change your approach. Then you read an article about a new strategy. You pivot again.
Your work has energy. You're putting in hours.
But you're rewiring the outlet every week. You never stay grounded long enough for something to actually power up and run.
Anyone trying to build anything:
You commit to a morning routine. Two days later, you read about a different system and switch. A week after that, you try something else entirely.
Or you decide to focus on growing your business this quarter. Then you get distracted by a side project. Then another opportunity. Then back to the first thing but with a new strategy.
Lots of power. No ground.
Why We Resist Grounding
Grounding feels limiting.
If I commit to this novel, that means I'm not writing that other idea. If I focus on this business direction, I might miss out on that other opportunity.
We want to keep our options open. Stay flexible. Be ready to pivot.
But here's what I learned from that outlet: power without ground isn't flexibility. It's just scattered energy that can't do anything.
The outlet didn't become more powerful by not having a ground wire. It became useless.
Grounding doesn't limit your power. It focuses it. It gives it somewhere to actually go.
What Grounding Looks Like
Make a decision.
Not forever. Just for now. Pick the project. Pick the direction. Pick the focus.
"I'm writing this novel. Not that one. This one."
"I'm building this business offering. Not exploring five others. This one."
"I'm following this morning system for 90 days before I evaluate it."
Stay connected to that decision.
Like a ground wire, you have to maintain the connection even when it feels boring. Even when you get a new idea. Even when someone else's approach looks shinier.
The ground wire doesn't change every time the power fluctuates. It stays solid. That's the whole point.
Let the power flow through one thing.
All that creative energy you have? Channel it into the grounded decision.
Write the novel you committed to. Build the business you chose. Follow the system you picked.
The power was always there. Now it has somewhere to go.
The Pattern Is Clear
Power needs ground to work. Always.
You can have all the creative energy in the world. All the ideas. All the potential.
But if you're not grounded to something specific—something you've decided to focus on and stick with—that energy just scatters.
It looks like work. It feels like movement.
But nothing powers up.
Try this: Look at what you're working on right now.
Are you grounded to one thing? Or are you an ungrounded outlet—full of energy but scattered across three projects, five ideas, ten directions?
Pick one. Ground yourself to it. Give it 30 days. 90 days. Whatever it takes to finish.
Let your power actually power something.
What are you grounding yourself to this month?