A Beautiful Constraint by Adam Morgan & Mark Barden

Did you know that Mario's iconic look is due to limitations created by his existence in an eight-bit reality? The designers created that handlebar mustache because it was the only facial hair that they could render with those visual limitations. Where one could see constraints, the designers worked with what they had, and now we have Mario and the basis for bad Halloween costumes the world over.

Every day we encounter challenges. Things don't go as planned. We turn a corner and discover boulders sitting in the middle of our execution path. Turns out, if you can find a way to leverage those boulders to benefit you, instead of complaining that they exist, you can turn this ability into a bit of a superpower. But, how do you do this? Well, you need to invent.

This is really a book about creativity. As such, a lot of it is pretty abstract. Sometimes, I got lost in hyperbole and metaphoric language. However, just as I was drifting away, the detailed case studies are all that's needed to bring one back, digging teeth in and keeping you turning the pages.

When you find yourself behind the eight-ball and in a tough spot, it turns out you can invent your way out of it. Having the right tools makes it a lot less painful to do.