Embracing constraints

Do you know Seth Godin?

He’s the author of many books, including Meatball Sundae, Purple Cow, Tribes (and more) about the Internet, ideas, and more. I find his writing inspirational, especially in terms of developing this website and fulfilling our mission. I loved listening to Seth read Tribes—his cadence and delivery are wonderful.

Recently Seth wrote a blog about constraints. This is a subject near and dear to my heart. I appreciated what I would consider his Feldenkraisian take on the subject. Here’s a nugget: “. . . embrace the constraints you’ve been given. Use them as assets, as an opportunity to be the one who solved the problem.”

Here is the full blog entry:

Embracing Constraints

Every project worth doing comes with constraints. Our natural inclination is to fight them.

This has to be done by Tuesday. You must produce it in-state. It must work with the current operating system. It has to be sold by local retailers. You need to be able to get all of it done and still be home for family dinner. You’ll need to pay taxes on your profits and pay your employees a living wage. You shouldn’t leave PCBs in the ground. It has to work for left-handed people. It must weigh less than a pound. It must come in eleven different colors…

When we fight constraints and eliminate them, we often gain access to new insights, new productivity and new solutions. It also makes it easier to compete against people who don’t have those constraints.

There’s a useful alternative: embrace the constraints you’ve been given. Use them as assets, as an opportunity to be the one who solved the problem. Once you can thrive in a world filled with constraints, it’s ever easier to do well when those constraints are loosened. That’s one reason why the best filmmakers learn their craft making movies with no budget at all.