84 | The Refinement of Trade Offs

This post is Part 3 of 3 of the "Embracing Trade Offs Instead of Seeking Perfection" series.

Because we've been led to believe that "more" is the only option, the idea of a trade off is perceived as a terrifying exercise in acknowledging failure.

If we can't do anything and everything then it feels like we've sold ourselves short.

We want perfection, not trade offs.

But attempting to eliminate trade offs is an endless exercise in futility and frustration - perpetual discontentment - because trade offs are a feature of life, not a flaw.

Trade offs allow us to bust the myth of perfection.

Trade offs allow black and white to become gray.

Trade offs give shape and substance amidst the ambiguity.

Trade offs force us to assign value to something and acknowledge less value for something else.

Borrowing from Godin, trade offs allow us to put ourselves on the hook.

Trade offs allow us to abandon the status quo when it is no longer the best option.

Trade offs allow us to discover things that matter more to us than we could have ever discovered without making the trade off.

Trade offs push us forward more than they hold us back.

Trade offs allow us to begin defining "contentment".

Trade offs allow us to begin clarifying "enough".

Trade offs refine us in a way that provides a peace of mind and freedom that no amount of resources can ever replicate.