🎹 The Power of Constraints
Resources don’t make you resourceful. Constraints do.
The Little Blue Toy Piano
When I was growing up, my family was very poor. I longed to learn music, but we couldn’t afford a piano, let alone expensive music lessons.
Then one afternoon, when I was 10 years old and walking home from elementary school, I passed by a dumpster and spotted something unusual sticking out of the pile. It was a little blue toy piano. It looked worn and dusty, but in my eyes, it was a treasure. What others saw as trash, I saw as a gift. I picked it up and brought it home.
That little piano only had 8 keys, just one octave. But it didn’t matter. I began experimenting on the folk songs I’d heard, one note at a time. Despite the limitations, I figured out how to play simple melodies, and it brought me so much joy.
By the time I entered middle school, we still couldn’t afford formal music training. But I thought, if I join the school band, maybe I can learn music at no cost. So I did. Because I had no music background, I was placed in the percussion section and learned to play the drums.
For four years, I played drums in the school band. I never learned to read sheet music fluently or master the piano. But I gained something even more valuable: a deep love for music, a creative spirit, and a group of friends from my percussion team who remain some of my closest companions, even 30 years later.
This story has stayed with me because of what it taught me:
It is not resources that make you resourceful.
It is the lack of resources that make you resourceful.
When we have everything we need, we tend to use resources carelessly, without creativity or innovation. When we have almost nothing, we discover opportunities and capabilities we never knew existed.
Constraints Unlock Creativity
We often associate success with having more: more time, more funding, more connections, more support. And yes, resources can help.
But constraints are not obstacles. They are teachers.
Think about the times you were under pressure to deliver something on a tight deadline. Remember that mixture of panic and adrenaline? You didn’t have weeks to ponder and perfect every detail. You had to move fast, make decisions, and adapt.
That's when most of us produce our best work. Not when we have endless time to perfect and procrastinate, but when we have just enough time to focus completely and eliminate everything non-essential.
When you’re constrained, you stop waiting for the perfect conditions. You start solving problems with what you have. You simplify. You innovate. You ask for help. You break the mold because you have to. That’s where the magic happens.
Constraints In Our Careers
Yet how often do we blame our constraints in our careers for our lack of progress? "If only I had more time." "If only I had a bigger budget." "If only I had their resources, their team, their advantages."
This thinking is seductive because it absolves us of responsibility. It's also completely disempowering. When we frame constraints as excuses, we surrender our agency. We become victims of circumstance rather than architects of solutions.
The next time you feel stuck because you lack something (time, money, headcount), pause and reframe the situation: This isn’t a limitation. It’s an invitation to innovate.
Instead of asking "What can't I do because of these constraints?", ask "What becomes possible because of these constraints?"
Ask yourself: How might this constraint actually serve me? What creative solutions does it demand? What unnecessary elements does it eliminate? What focus does it provide?
When we shift from “I can’t because I don’t have enough” to “What can I do with what I have?”, we reclaim our agency.
Instead of holding off on launching an idea until we have full funding, we can start with a pilot, a prototype, or a proof of concept.
Instead of waiting for a promotion to lead, we can step into leadership by taking initiative and solving problems that matter.
Instead of wishing for a sponsor, we can start adding value to our existing stakeholder relationships.
Sometimes, the very constraints we resist are what carve out our unique path.
That said, real limitations, such as lack of access to education, healthcare, or basic necessities create genuine hardship that shouldn't be dismissed. But within the constraints we face, whether imposed by circumstances or chosen strategically, lies tremendous creative potential.
How To Practice Intentional Constraint
If you want to unlock more creativity and momentum in your life or work, consider how you can introduce constraints on purpose.
Here are a few ideas:
Set your own deadlines: Don’t wait for someone else to give you one. If there’s a project you care about, whether it’s a blog, a course, a career pivot, or a business idea, commit to a timeline. A deadline creates focus.
Start small: Ask yourself: What’s the smallest step I can take to test this idea? Build a one-page site. Host a 5-person gathering. Offer a short workshop. You don’t need funding to get started.
Cut your time in half: Try working with a Pomodoro timer or block your calendar for focused sprints. You might be surprised by how much you can do in 25 minutes of focused effort.
You Are More Capable Than You Think
As Asian women, many of us have grown up navigating systems where we’ve had to do more with less. While that experience can be frustrating and exhausting, it also means we have muscles others may not: grit, adaptability, and ingenuity.
Those muscles, strengthened by constraints, can become our superpowers.
We don’t need to wait for the perfect conditions to begin.
We can build with what we have.
We can do it scrappy.
We can do it scared.
We can do it small.
We can do it.
The little blue toy piano taught me that eight keys could create as much joy in music as eighty-eight keys. And just like my 10-year-old self sitting cross-legged on the floor with a little blue toy piano, you might discover that what you create under constraint is more joyful, meaningful, and powerful than anything you would have made with perfection.
Constraints don't limit us. They liberate us from the paralysis of infinite choice and force us to discover what we're truly capable of creating with what we have. They transform us from consumers of resources into generators of solutions.
The power isn't in having everything you need. The power is in making magic with what you have.
So the next time you’re feeling like you don’t have enough, don’t give up.
That might be the exact moment your most resourceful self is waiting to rise.
What could you create if you stopped waiting for more?
Thank you, Denise. Excellent article!