Creating constraints

Category: Editorial

Richard Winfield - editor Do you remember being asked to write an essay - on anything you like?

Difficult, isn't it? But if your teacher had said write an essay on the sex life of ants - something about which you knew nothing - immediately ideas could have flooded into your brain.

Why is that? Because you now had some boundaries, a context within which to operate. Sometimes too much choice is worse than no choice at all.

We have been planning a family holiday to Australia in the autumn. I don't like committing myself too far into the future and I had been putting off deciding a date. Then my son advised that he is working on a project that will not release him until the end of October. Now I had a boundary; further, we did not want to leave it too late in the year. I look at my calendar for the first week of November and, surrounded by clear dates, I find the International Coach Federation conferncne on 1-4 November. A conflict and a constraint. Not only does this mean that we can't be in Australia in the first week of November, but I need to allow for getting back to Britain, possible flight delays and recovering from jet lag. The conference is in St Louis, Missouri, which is six hours west of the UK, whereas Australia will be 11 hours east. Fifteen hours flying to get home and another 24 hours to get to Australia. I shall be in no state for a holiday unless we delay our trip for a further week.

But is this necessary? The constraints create opportunities. Why not fly the other way - a 'round the world trip'? Not only does this minimise the total flying but there is a consistent relationship with time zones. And a bonus; since I would arrive early, I could spend two or three days in New Zealand on the way! Or do I lose a day at the International Date Line?

I have found that when I want help from people they are very poor at commenting on a blank sheet of paper but very good at criticising something that I write. This is not because I am surrounded by critical people, but rather because my text gives them some constraints; they have some boundaries for their thinking and their creative minds are able to get into gear.

So, when faced with a confusing decision, create some constraints. You can always change them once you have started to think.

Note: We are intending to stop over for three days in Kuala Lumpur on our return journey, so any ideas for short breaks in New Zealand or Malaysia would be very welcome.

A lesson from David Beckham

I watched a programme on David Beckham this week. A lot of the programme was about football, but it also included interviews of a more personal nature. Beckham is clearly very at ease with himself and on several occasions he explained how he did something because he wanted to. Whether talking about his hair styles or his love of tattoos his attitude was "Well I like it so I thought, why not?" These were not statements of someone self indulgent, but rather of someone who was sufficiently at ease with himself to be free from the constraints of convention. A valuable lesson to discover who we are – and then be it.

Mind what you wish for

The UK has just experienced its first drought order of the year - during one of the wettest periods in May! It has stimulated a lot of talk about the summer of 1976. This was very memorable for me.

All my life I had wanted to be a farmer. I had been very fortunate to spend much of my teenage years living on the edge of the West Midlands conurbation. 1960, when we first moved there was a fantastic summer too, and I spent much of it, and succeeding years making hay, spreading muck and feeding pigs. Eventually, in 1976 I got my six acre smallholding. I remember standing in our top field in glorious sunshine not only delighted to be there at last but, much more important, relieved that what I had so long craved, was still attractive now that I had achieved my ambition. What a let down it would have been if having got it, I no longer wanted it. In fact I had six glorious years before I was ready to move onto an urban stage of my life. It might be "better to travel than to arrive", but it is important that you travel to the correct destination - worth doing some research and deep thought before you set out (particularly if it is on a life's journey).

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