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Wednesday 25 September 2013

Playing With the Triangle of Good, Fast and Cheap

I remember the scene from a TV show where one of the characters was using the triangle of expectation to explain the concept of how interior refurbishment work was going to be carried out. Fast, Cheap and Good each take a corner of a triangle. The rule is that one can only pick two at the expense of the third choice. 

So you can have it Fast and Cheap but it won't be Good. You can have it Cheap and Good but it won't be Fast. Or, you can have it Fast and Good but it won't be Cheap

I have always been fascinated by this triangle because it seems to reinforce the realistic idea that it's impossible for one to truly have it all. However, bear in mind that I am not advocating this as some kind of sure-fire theory, but more of a fun exercise out of curiosity.

Keeping this rule in mind, had a little fun of my own by applying this triangle of expectation into the search for an ideal partner. Using three qualities that are deemed most conventionally important to people, I replace them each at the corner of a triangle and pick only two.

For example, let's say we are looking for a partner who is handsome, financially wealthy and also one that loves you whole-heartedly for real. Replace them in the triangle of expectation.


Supposedly life is a bitch and we are only entitled to two. So I can have him handsome and financially wealthy but he won't love me for real. Or I can have him financially wealthy and loves me for real but he wouldn't be handsome. Or I can have him handsome and loves me real but he wouldn't be financially wealthy?

Let's try another example by replacing it with something a bit more complicated. Supposedly I'm hoping to find someone who lives in the same city, has a good career and is understanding of my feelings. 

In a universe where life is a bitch, he will either live in the same city, has a good career but is not understanding of my feelings. Or be understanding of my feelings, has a good career but is not living in the same city. Or he can be living in the same city, is understanding of my feelings but doesn't have a good career.

The myth behind this triangle can be applied to a multitude of situations. For example, I want a job that pays me my expected salary, comes with a good boss and is within easy commute. The triangle says that I can have a job that pays me my expected salary, comes with a good boss but it wouldn't be within easy commute. Or I can have a job that is within easy commute, comes with a good boss, but doesn't pay me my expected salary. Or I can have a job that pays me my expected salary and within easy commute but doesn't come with a good boss.

So, can we really have it all? Anybody out there who can vouch for having conquered this triangle in all aspects of their life?

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