The “If” Clause

How many times have you heard or read somebody say this is great “if” you like this. What about “if” I were going to design this I would do the following? I call this the “If” clause.

Everything created is to fulfill a purpose. This could be to improve the quality of life or to save the world from utter disaster, all things are invented with a specific purpose. Often we assume the purpose instead of taking a step back to see the creation for what it really is.

Using an example I will explain how the “If” clause can prove to misjudge the purpose of an product. In our example we will use a budget car and talk about how people typically behave when discussing it.

You head to the dealership to find an affordable car that is known to be extremely reliable. After talking to the salesmen, giving him your requirements ( < $14,000, great gas mileage, reliable ) for such a purchase, he points you to the last aisle in the lot. From a distance the car looks to be exactly what you are looking for. The shiny red paint glimmers in the sunlight, tires still containing the stubs from the factory, the appearance of new. Opening the door you smell the scent that could be described as compelling with a hint of buy me now tucked away in aroma.Pulling the door open you have a seat and begin to discuss all of the features. It has all you need so you ask to take it for a test drive. Everything seems so right.

Returning back to the dealership the salesman ask how you liked the vehicle. Looking rather underwhelmed you say, I would love it “if” it had more power. The salesman looks at you and says, “Sir not all cars are alike. They all go by the same name, car, however each is designed to fill a requirement in a specific market.”

Often we compare items forgetting what it is they were designed to be. Lumping everything into the same expectations is the easiest way to go about evaluating yet usually farthest from the truth. If you find yourself saying this would be the perfect product “if” it had this specific feature than the chances are it wasn’t designed to have that feature in the first place.

Not everything is created equal. Take a step back and enjoy things for what they are designed to do instead of complaining about things they don’t.