Deep Dive Series: The Power of No by Coming to Terms with the Impossibility of Yes to Everything
By Tana M. Mann Easton, Lead Efficiency Engineer
In construction, there’s a concept called the impossible triangle. You can prioritize cost, quality, and speed, but you can only pick 2. It’s impossible to say yes to all three. If you want a project to be cheap and fast, then the quality will suffer. If you want construction to be fast and high quality, then it will be more expensive. You can’t say yes to and deliver on all three. It isn’t possible. In the world of physical products, we understand these tradeoffs. But these tradeoffs also exist in services and giving our time.
As a person, I might want to be an excellent mother, wife, sister, daughter, consultant, teacher, gardener, reader, crafter, volunteer, PTA room parent, traveler, musician, student, friend, fan, etc. However, I don’t have unlimited time. It’s impossible to say yes to all of these time commitments. Coming to terms with this impossibility is a big step that many people never take. It’s like beating yourself up because your construction company couldn’t deliver a high quality, low cost, quick project to your client. Come to terms with the impossibility. Then sit down and figure out what you truly care about in your life and in what order and direct your life from that understanding.
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Sincerely Yours,
Focus to Evolve Team