Trade offs
As a software engineer, I'm no stranger to trade-offs. I know if you want to have reliability, you might want to put extra money, and have duplicates. I know if you want something to be done quicker, you either have to put more people, or you'll not have all the features. I've been in multiple such tradeoff discussions, and in the end, it was all about doing a willing trade-off to lose something we can live with, and getting what we want more. Everyone involved in such discussions is aware of this, and are usually fine with the trade-off.
Knowingly or unknowingly, the mentality of doing trade-offs has creeped into my psyche, even outside of work. When I want to do something, I make sure that I'm okay with what I'm losing out on. Like for an entire year, I said no to every trip plans, as I wanted to focus more in my work. I knew what I was losing out on. But I was okay with it cause I knew what I was getting into. Making peace with the tradeoff saved me countless moments of confusion, decision making and FOMO.
And for me, that's what life's all about. It's already pretty chaotic and confusing. There are too many things to do, too many wishes to complete. But, you have to accept reality. You can't have everything, and most of the times you wouldn't have a choice about what you can or can't have. But when you have a choice, make sure it's a conscious one. A choice that you're okay with. A choice that makes you comfortable about not getting everything. A choice with which you can sleep peacefully at night.