One who has stuck in a rut always will get overtaken and outperformed by the hostile world, and probably is already being taken advantage of by someone or something. All good tricks are never atomic, unchangable entities. A good trick exists in infinite shades and varieties. It is always possible to mix different good tricks from different sources, to fine-tune the mixture to suit you best. Beware of dogmatism.
Rigid thoughts are the way into stagnation.
Stagnation equals death. If someone or something threatens your survival, then have no compassion towards it. Attack the enemy before the enemy attacks you . Survival is to be tougher and more aggressive than the enemy. Self-sacrifice is never good.