Why You Should Cut Corners
You probably don't want to hear this, but it may be time to start cutting corners.
Conventional wisdom suggests we should "make hay while the sun is shining" and "never leave money on the table." Managers encourage us with cliches like "give it everything you’ve got," or the idiotic "give me 110 percent!"
While these tired expressions might be good advice in certain contexts, they give us the impression that anything other than total domination of a task is wasted effort. But I’m not sure that’s true. Is it possible that sometimes there is wisdom in doing less than you can? I think so.
Jewish Scripture includes this surprising command: "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger."
This ancient idea seems to be that by cutting corners (please pardon the pun) you leave some quality produce for folks without land to gather. Those corners–full of grain or grapes–supply food for the impoverished people in the community. Your decision to work less creates an opportunity for someone else to work more–someone who really needs the work.
As a therapist in private practice, I feel pressure to attract clients and compete for business. But there are significant ethical problems with the notion that I should, as the old sales slogan goes, "always be closing."
Firstly, I am not the right therapist for every client. In the long run, it is better for both me and the one needing services that they are matched with a counselor that is a good fit for them. Otherwise, the client will not be helped and I will be doomed to frustration.
More than that, my hungry gobbling up of every potential client robs from my peers who are similarly seeking referrals. Right now I'm still one of "the little guys." I’m much more David than Goliath. I have neither the power nor prestige to wield such outsized influence, but someday I might. If that ever happens, I owe it to my community to “cut corners.”
In summary, a greedy mentality hurts everybody. Such over-producing is highly unproductive, and not in anyone’s best interest. While not stooping down to pick up every last grape could be perceived as lazy, it will end up saving my back and preserving my knees.
What might it mean for you to cut corners; to not reap right to the edges of your field? It might mean not working overtime, so that you have some energy left for your spouse or children when you get home. It might mean taking something off your calendar so that you have time to pull over and help a stranded motorist on your way to and fro. It might even mean holding your tongue when you could savagely win an argument, instead choosing to mercifully preserve the fragile dignity of a loved one. It could mean any number of things.
I’m not telling you what to do, but it may be time to start cutting corners.