Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Have a direction? What did we lose in choosing it? Sorry, we traded something for something else. We lost something.

I am never supposed to write “never” and “always.” And there is always an exception to all rules. Hence, the title of this post.

I have yet to find a perfect solution to any question or any problem. Hence, I write “always” as that covers my experience. Any solution or answer involves trades: I will get this, but not that. Since I like this much more than that, I will choose this solution instead of that solution.

Confused enough by my confusion? Okay. I choose blue coffee cups for the cafeteria. I like blue; some people like red, but since I am choosing, I choose what I like. How about choosing a shipment that includes all the colors of the rainbow? That costs more. I am trading cost for utility. Plus, people will grab the coffee cup in the color they like and eventually will show that I picked an unpopular color. I am choosing my preference over the preference of the crowd. So far, we learn that I like to save money and boost my ego.

Silly example? Maybe. I chose that example. What did I trade off? I could write that example quicker and with less effort. Again, I chose time and effort savings. I lost…well, not sure yet, because I haven’t thought about what I lost.

Trivial? Probably yes. Now consider things of great importance that we sometimes consider. Suppose we have a $10 Billion choice. Now, we should consider the trades. What will this have instead of what that has? We should make a list. We should consider what we are trading away. Are any things on that list things that we should keep? If yes, how can we keep that while still choosing this?

Trade-offs are present. Let’s admit it. Let’s consider what we are forgoing as we choose our direction. Such considerations often keep us from later disaster.