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Others don't get enough love!
Within the frame of rethinking constraints , I've been focused on — perhaps even a little obsessed about — constraints that seem impossible. The obvious examples are things that at one point in time seemed out of the question, like a nearly free communication medium that would let us all post articles and videos to one another, or flying in heavier-than-air craft. Both the Internet and Delta Airlines were out of the question in 1900.
There are many more recent examples of the impossible becoming possible, but when I started reflecting on less daunting constraints, I realized that often it is those that really hem us in and keep us from succeeding. Imagine a spectrum that goes (from impossible on down) like this:
That last one, Uncomfortable, is really interesting. You could interpret it as something that is physically uncomfortable, like breaking a running speed record, but I'm thinking more of something that is socially uncomfortable, like wearing a sign that says "Free Hugs!" then hugging random passers-by. Or giving someone hard-to-hear advice when it's not the expected thing in your social dynamic.
Are there things in your life recently that you can think you didn't do because they were uncomfortable in these ways? How many?
Sometimes, it's these barriers that create value. In gift giving, or doing someone a favor, the task is often impractical or inconvenient. Certainly it is unprofitable.
Experiment more.
Sometimes the things that hold us back are tiny.
#rethinkconstraints
This article is cross-posted on Substack here, Medium here and LinkedIn here. It's also here in my Brain.