This topic came from a good friend. It's kind of a "duh" in a way but for a perfectionist (like most creatives) it's a necessary mantra.
"Everyone wants good, fast and cheap. In the real world, you can have 2 of those. You can't have it all. I know it's not fair. HOWEVER....."
Most of the time, "good and fast" works well - but it won't be cheap.
Sometimes "good and cheap" works well - but it won't be fast.
Rarely, "cheap and fast" can happen - but it won't be good.
Apply to your world. In business, fast food, relationships, so many areas, we need to redefine our terms a bit.
For us and our fellow creatives, it should serve to clarify the flowchart of working with a customer - a compromise of sorts - where everyone gets something, not everything.
And that can be good enough for most - especially when the almighty dollar (budget) is ever-present in the room.
"X" will get you a stage show. It won't get you Cirque. That costs "XXXXX"
"X" will get you multiple performers. It won't get you multiple A-listers.
"X" will increase productivity, and we'll deliver "X" speed.
"X" is all the time we have at the event. The Mona Lisa took 4 years.
This is not to say that we shouldn't all want to "raise our own bar." As a stilt walker, I've enjoyed being able to do more and more, grow taller, make balloons, etc. However, each of these skills is hard-earned, has value and shouldn't be given away. Apples-to-apples.
As a mime, I've enjoyed working large crowds and moving around but every interaction is not going to have the same "wow" factor - some folks won't get it and others won't have a sense of humor.
It's another delicate balance between humble and ego, between service and exploiting, between cost of quality and cost of living.
How can this formula help you?