A simple exception can reveal that yesterday’s obstacle was a choice rather than a necessity.

The moment a rule bends for one case, everybody learns something about the rule. What was described as impossible turns out to have been a preference, a habit, or a decision made long ago by someone who has since left. That knowledge is uncomfortable for whoever has been enforcing it and useful to everyone else. Constraints and conventions look identical until one of them gives way.

When you are told something cannot be done, ask whether it has ever been done differently and for whom. And if you are the one able to make an exception, know that you are also revealing what was always possible.