The Diary of Anne Ku: 1 September 2000 the F word

The Diary
of
Anne Ku

1 September 2000 Friday

THE F WORD

Infatuated with the concept of flexibility, I couldn't stop using the "F" word in my daily conversations five years ago. Flexibility meant

postponing decision making so I can get more information
splitting a decision into smaller ones so that I can wait and see
having lots of options
having access
being able to bend like a willow tree, go with the flow
having access

Today this translates to real options. Indeed, one should never refuse a free option. One should always be gathering and collecting free options. One should try as far as possible to turn an obligation into a "right but not an obligation."

What's the flipside of this kind of thinking? Keeping too many options causes cognitive stress and distress. Too much flexibility becomes an obligation in itself. The flip side of flexibility is, after all, uncertainty.

YESTERDAY

TOMORROW