Choose 2 out of 3

There’s a bit of a inside joke/meme among contractors of all kinds - the “good / fast / cheap – choose 2” triangle. The idea is customers always want good, fast and cheap, but it doesn’t exist in reality, or just way too expensive that no one would choose to pay for it. In practice, us contractors and businesses are always having to educate our customers—implicitly or explicitly—about having to choose 2 and the trade-offs involved and which one they’re willing to take a hit on.

I think this applies not just to business but to all aspects of life – career, family, lifestyle, even daily mundane choices.

Here’s mine as an indie parent:

Every day, I struggle with making decisions between the 3 choices. Oftentimes, sleep takes the fall for the team. Lately, due to financial concerns, quality time had been compromised, but most of the time, it’s the top priority and so what’s left is often toss up between sleep vs revenue.

No wonder I’m either always sleep deprived, or frustrated about my revenue progress!

And guess what – the hardest part isn’t having to make a decision or sacrifice. The hardest part is letting go that I can’t have all 3. Because saying I can’t have it all feels like failure.

Maybe that’s why I’m writing this out now.

To ALLOW myself to not have it all, and ACCEPT the reality, instead of guilt-tripping myself.

And to choose 2 with full intentionality.
And accept, embrace it.
And move on.