Hold on to constraints

In which I hold on to constraints by using only consonants, "a," "i," "o," and "u"

Constraints abound.

A thoughtful analysis usually shows many obstructions blocking our path toward our aims.

In many situations, assuming it suits my goals and that I can, I will just strip such limits and go on with my tasks.

But holding on to constraints can also assist us in many ways.

My growth through constraints

Two months ago, I hurt my arm in JiuJitsu. I got into an arm lock, didn't tap, and "pop!" My worst injury in JiuJitsu so far.

It's not that I didn't tap trying to tough it out, no; I just wasn't anticipating an attack from that position, a surprising transition I didn't know about – A top wrist lock from half-guard.

I'm back to training now, and my focus on JiuJitsu is still on avoiding tough positions and managing bad situations, just as it was two months ago.

But now, with a hurt arm, I'm training my JiuJitsu guard and also using and improving parts of my fighting that I wouldn't do as much, such as trips and bridging.

This difficulty with using my arms is improving my JiuJitsu in distinct ways that I possibly wouldn't without this injury.

Similarly, for my morning run, I try to run as much as I can in a half-hour block.

This 30min limit is practical: Within 1 hour, I go out, run for half an hour, and am back to start work.

And I know that, as I grow in my ability to run, I will still always finish it in 1 hour. I'm improving my running by doing it rapidly, not longish.

Growing in my pursuits within my constraints, not without.

Growing through constraints

Almost all growth occurs through constraints. Growth is an adaptation against difficulty.

Without difficulty, our actions quickly go from vigorous to lazy, and our surroundings from dynamic to constant.

Hardship stirs in us a fighting spirit, supplying us with stamina that is crucial to push against our limitations.

Prioritization through constraints

Prioritization is about choosing, and adopting constraints can aid us in avoiding distractions and focusing on our most important work.

In particular, prioritization is about saying no. And saying no and constraints walk hand in hand.

By constraining my options, I amplify my ability to focus on what is most critical for my goals.

Book – A Void

An inspiration for this topic was "A Void," a fascinating book which writing only contains consonants, "a," "i," "o," and "u."

A Void's story is intriguing in that it's always comprising of missing things hiding in plain sight, alluding to its implicit constraint.

Surprisingly, A Void is actually a translation from an original which also has this strict constraint!

Look at this quotation alluding to a limit hiding in plain sight, forcing "unidiomatic circumlocutions":

14 – In which you will find a carp scornfully turning down a halva fit for a king

Augustus finally thought to acquaint his son of his curious situation. I was on hand during this discussion.

"Till now I said nothing at all to you about a puzzling conundrum accompanying your apparition at Azincourt. Today, if only I could, I would inform you of just what kind of a Damnation it is that has both of us now in its claws. But a Law (a Law, my boy, unfamiliar to you) would punish any such injudicious admission on my part. Nobody, not I, not anybody, would wish to broadcast that flimsy truth, that X, that minimal unknown to broadcast that flimsy truth, that X, that minimal unknown quantity, that total taboo, that is transforming – ab ovo, so to say – all of our talk into poppycock and driving all of our actions to distraction.

All of us know of this anonymous abomination that acts upon us without any of us knowing just how it acts upon us to adopt unidiomatic circumlocutions, roundabout ways of saying things and dubiously woolly abstractions, continually damning us to a bogus philosophy and its just as bogus spiritual comfort, a 'comfort' stifling all our crying and sighing, sobbing and blubbing – all of us know, as I say, that a wall far too high for any of us to surmount is now imprisoning us for good and a malignant wrath is thwarting all our approximations of that missing sign – quixotic approximations born out of a natural wish to grasp such an amorphous immaculation in our hands.

A Void, pag. 140-141

Work within constraints

Working within constraints allows growth in unnatural but still good, important ways.

In fact, I think that's what play is all about: acting within constraints in pursuit of a particular goal.

So from now on, think about your constraints as not always obstructing your path towards your goals but also as a tool for nurturing your growth and focus.

And also know that working within constraints is a fantastic way of having fun – such as I had in writing this ... articl.. pic.. txt... ahh.. blog post.