☕ saturday mornings - April 9, 2022

river of life, going with the flow & removing constraints

Apr 09, 2022

Good morning all!

Happy Saturday. I hope you’re having an excellent start to your weekend.

What I’ve been up to:

In the middle of exam season… having too much fun.
Working on my application for the Rhodes Scholarship. Zero chance of winning but I figure I'll give it a shot.

Below is your edition of “saturday mornings”, a weekly recap of the coolest things I’ve been pondering and exploring this week.

Thanks for being here.

Total read time (all) = 4 minutes

✍️ Quote I’m pondering:

“When you are a young person, you are like a young creek, and you meet many rocks, many obstacles and difficulties on your way. You hurry to get past these obstacles and get to the ocean.
But as the creek moves down through the fields, it becomes larger and calmer and it can enjoy the reflection of the sky. It's wonderful.
You will arrive at the sea anyway so enjoy the journey. Enjoy the sunshine, the sunset, the moon, the birds, the trees, and the many beauties along the way.
Taste every moment of your daily life."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

💡 Idea I’m exploring: Following Life's Flow

"When rain falls, it flows downhill. If desired, you can collect the rain in a bucket and carry it uphill, but the natural tendency of water is to flow toward the lowest point.
Most situations in life have a tendency—a direction in which things want to flow. You can choose to go against the flow (just as you can choose to carry water uphill), but your results tend to be better when you find a way to work with the gradient of the situation.
Position yourself to benefit from the external forces at hand and you will get more from the same unit of effort. Energy is conserved and results are multiplied.”
— James Clear

Many things are out of our control. Trying to control the uncontrollable—to force things to be a certain way—results in nothing but stress and unease.

“Feeling as though you are trying too hard,” Tim Ferriss writes, “indicates that your priorities, technique, focus, or mindfulness is off. Take it as a cue to reset, not to double down.”

I tend to journal on:

What if you let life come to you? What if you embraced uncertainty, instead of avoiding it?

I remind myself to place some trust in life's flow of events, even if I can't see the bigger picture.

There’s a certain sense of calm when you resolve to go with the flow, instead of constantly trying to swim upstream. You’ll avoid the continuous sense of anxiety, and still end up where you’re supposed to be.

If you enjoy “saturday mornings”, share this post with a friend 🙂

“A system will grow to its constraints but no further.”
— Alex Hormozi

I'll admit it. I sucked at Olympic lifting.

That herculean effort to sling a barbell, loaded with weight, off the ground to your chest and miraculously press it above your head in one fluid motion.

When I began learning the basics, it was easy. But, as soon as I increased the weight I was hopeless. It was like the bar was glued to the ground.

I figured, as a teenage boy does, that I wasn't strong enough. That's why I struggled when the bar got heavier. Obviously. To get stronger, I spent weeks counting calories and grinding through workouts.

But, every time I bucked up the courage and tried to perform an Olympic lift, I faced the same result. The bar barely moved. I was dumbfounded.

The Theory of Constraints

The core concept of the Theory of Constraints is that improvement comes from focusing on your most impeding constraint.

Every system has a single biggest constraint. And, the system can only improve when the constraint is removed.

The more important conclusion is that spending time improving non-constraints will not provide any real benefit. Only improvements to the constraint drive substantial progress.

The Ladder of Progress

For a simple way to think about constraints, we can picture a ladder.

Your ability to reach the desired outcome is dependent on the lowest, or least developed, part of the ladder. You can continue to build on other parts of your ladder, but you’re limited to the lowest rung—the most impeding constraint.

My problem with Olympic lifting wasn't my strength. There were tons of people that were leaner than me that could lift way more.

My biggest constraint was my ankle and hip flexibility.

But, as I wasted time trying to improve a non-constraint, my strength, I was stuck in the same place week after week. Like treading water, I was expending a ton of effort and getting nowhere.

Businesses Grow by Removing Constraints

Every single company’s growth is inhibited by its biggest constraint. The proof? No company has infinite revenue or profit. It’s constrained by something.

I recently spoke with a friend who ran the Australian division of a multi-billion dollar tech company. As a young man, he planned to become an entrepreneur but initially sought out a job where he could learn how to market and sell. This was because he believed most small businesses' biggest constraint is attracting customers.

In a similar vein, I've seen companies that focus heavily on sales. They invest tons of money in salespeople, commissions, and CRM platforms.

But, their product sucks. By focusing on their non-constraint (lead generation) instead of their largest constraint (product development), they'll fail to grow. They may attract a lot of interest, but customer's response will continue to be the same.

Why Does This Matter to Me?

"You will grow to the level of your constraints, not your potential."
— Alex Hormozi

Similar to my weightlifting story, our strengths often don't single-handedly define our success. Rather, we are held back by habits and behaviors that limit our ability to grow.

You can achieve disproportionate results by identifying your largest constraint, that's bottlenecking your progress, and focusing solely on it.

Working on non-constraints, especially if they're your strengths, may feel good but it won't get you far. It's the difference between treading water and swimming forward.

What constraint is most limiting your progress towards something? What would happen if it was removed?

That’s all for this week’s edition of “saturday mornings”.

If you have any feedback or thoughts, I’d love to hear from you.

Reply to this email, leave a comment, or find me on Twitter @tommy_dixon_

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Have a fantastic weekend.

Much love to you and yours,

Tommy