So much of what we can do we don’t because we have to make friends with the fact we have limited means and limited time. Even those without constrained means still have to deal with the scarcity of time.

The reality, as we sometimes painfully come to realise, is that we cannot do everything we want to – we must choose and our choices are substantially less than the options. This is cause for frustration on one hand, but on the other it’s also brings forced focus – a gift in disguise.

Means and time are the very obvious constraints that stop us from starting all the things we want to – I put this down as a negative. However, the power that comes from committing to just a few things and doing them really well (the hedgehog) is the flip-side. It’s hard to see how we can do something well when we are seeking to participate in everything we could possibly do. Moreover, the more we do, the more I think eventually we discover that there is really only a small selection of things (the number of things would vary for each of us), which we actually WANT to be über at. I believe that it is through nurturing our passions that we discover meaning and what matters most.

So where does this leave us?

However we prioritise what matters most to us, and I hope that your deep passions are your guide, we should engage it like they are the only things that matter. Not because the rest doesn’t have value, they sure will to someone, but because only then can we be giving and getting their full worth.

Don’t begrudge your limitations, work with them and let them help you focus and go deep. Become the finest person you can be doing the things that matter most to how you see the world. Leave the rest to someone else and celebrate with them when they do the same.