Constraints, Complaints, Restraints, Oh My!

Constraints often turn into complaints. Then complaints turn into restraints. 

Do you recognize the following complaints and restraints about outward constraints? “I don’t have enough time to work out.” “I don’t have enough money to start a business.” “I can’t eat this food on my diet.” “I’m too small to play basketball.” “I'm not as smart as everyone else in my class, so I'll never get a scholarship." The list goes on and on. Sure, some constraints can limit people. But constraints can often propel people to bigger, better, and greater things.

Author James Clear has some great thoughts on constraints that can help us if we apply them. "So often, we spend time complaining about the things that are withheld from us. But constraints are not the enemy. Every artist has a limited set of tools to work with. Every athlete has a limited set of skills to train with. Every entrepreneur has a limited number of resources to build with. Once you know your constraints, you can start figuring out how to work with them."

How do you work with constraints? In 1960, two men made a bet. There was only $50.00 on the line, but millions of people would feel the impact of this little wager. The first man, Bennett Cerf, founded the Random House Publishing firm. The second man was Theo Geisel, but you probably know him as Dr. Seuss. Bennett Cerf made a bet with Dr. Seuss that Dr. Seuss would not be able to write an entertaining children’s book using only fifty different words.

Dr. Seuss took the bet and won. The result was a little book called Green Eggs and Ham. Since its publication, Green Eggs and Ham has sold more than two hundred million copies, making it the most popular of Seuss's works and one of history's best-selling children's books. 

James Clear goes on to say. "At first glance, you might think this was a lucky fluke. A talented author plays a fun game with fifty words and produces a hit. Dr. Seuss discovered through this little bet the power of setting constraints. Setting limits for yourself — whether that involves the time you must work out, the money you have to start a business, or the number of words you can use in a book — often delivers better results than “keeping your options open.” 

Dr. Seuss found that setting some limits to work within was so valuable that he also employed this strategy for other books. For example, Dr. Seuss’ book, The Cat in the Hat, was written using only a first-grade vocabulary list.

James Clear noticed two reasons why this occurs. “The first reason is constraints inspire your creativity. If you're five-foot-five inches tall and playing basketball, you figure out more creative ways to score than the six-foot-five-inch guy. If you have a one-year-old child that takes up almost every minute of your day, you figure out more creative ways to get some exercise. If you're a photographer and you show up to a shoot with just one lens, you figure out more creative ways to capture the beauty of your subject.”

"The second reason is constraints force us to get something done. This second reason is why professionals set a schedule for their production while amateurs wait until they feel motivated. Sticking to your schedule doesn’t have to be grand or impressive. Just commit to a process you can sustain. If you have to, reduce the scope of the project.”

My question to us today is this. Why not appropriate these enlightening ideas today? You can be a player, not just an audience. Appropriation is the act of taking something for your use. It could be a concept, strategy, or even something as crazy as a bet between friends that moves you from the outhouse to the penthouse. Don't let the "Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my" of life stop you. If it applies to you and is good and honorable, the way is yours. Please take it.

By the way, every one of the principles above is biblically correct and spiritually accurate. Jesus didn't allow constraints to limit him. Jesus consistently gave constraints a black eye.   

Jesus took a few fish and loaves from a boy, twelve under-construction disciples, and 5000 hungry people out in the middle of nowhere and turned it into a fish and chips dinner. Jesus fed them both spiritually and naturally. He worked within the restraints wonderfully. And think of the books that have been sold about Jesus.   

Henry Ford once said, "I am looking for a lot of men (and women) who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done." Constraints and limitations determine the size of the canvas you must work with. What you paint on it is up to you.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how some of the greatest create their greatest.