Constraint and direction

There are two styles of four-wheeled shopping carts.

With the first kind, there are fixed wheels in the back and swiveling wheels in the front.

With the second kind, all four wheels swivel.

One might think that the second kind is best. It’s the most agile. It has the smallest turn radius. It affords the most freedom of movement.

But that mobility can make the cart tricky to pilot. It’s more challenging to push in a straight line. Harder to turn once it’s going straight.

In the first kind of cart, the rear wheels help to hold a consistent path. Their inability to swivel creates an overall stability for the whole apparatus.

The principle is true in life, too: built-in constraints can work wonders for maintaining an established direction.

It could be that some of your constraints are working in your favor.