Scarcity vs Abundance

I spent two weeks talking myself into an argument I wasn't sure I could win.

The theme on the Duchess this week was Scarcity vs Abundance. Everything I have been taught says abundance is the right answer and scarcity is the thing you grow out of. So I decided to argue the opposite and let the crew tell me I was wrong.

They didn't. Mostly.

What they did instead was take apart the idea that the two are even opposites. The cleanest version came early: which one is right depends on where you are standing. Abundance when you are looking for opportunity. Scarcity when you are deciding what to do with the time and money you actually have.

A few that stuck with me. Lean is a choice, not a limitation. Abundance is where focus goes to die, the danger is rarely too few opportunities, it is the endless buffet of shiny objects pulling you off the few things that work. And the discipline to protect your time is its own kind of strategy.

Scarcity, it turns out, is not the thing you grow out of. It is discipline wearing a costume that makes it look like you are missing out.

Two hours, no phones, and a crew that left sharper than they got on. That is the whole point.

The full edition of Heard This Week, with every takeaway from the boat, goes to the crew after each cruise.