Scarcity makes you hustle. Abundance makes you lazy.
That is not just a clever line. It is something I really lived.
Back in Sri Lanka around 2005, internet access was a luxury. I paid 40 LKR for one hour at an internet cafe. Every click mattered. I had to choose carefully what I spent my time and money on.
So I chose to build, mostly. I spent those hours learning HTML, PHP, Java, downloading software onto a tiny 512MB flash drive, and even saving entire websites so I could read them offline later. I grabbed music videos on a 512 Kbps line too. I was a die-hard hip hop fan back then, so 50 Cent and Eminem were on repeat. I lost myself in music, in a good way. That short window forced me to grab what I could, and that pressure shaped me. Scarcity forced choices, and in those choices I grew.
Fast forward to today. Unlimited internet. Unlimited tools. Knowledge everywhere. I can build anything I want.
But the hunger is not the same. Back then I never had to push myself. The drive came naturally because every minute mattered. Now abundance makes it too easy to coast.
Looking back, I realize most of the first-principle thinking skills I rely on today were forged in those early days of scarcity. When the cost was real, I paid attention. I valued the hours. I made the most of them.
Scarcity built grit. Abundance built comfort.
And that is the lesson I keep coming back to: growth happens when it costs you. Hunger sharpens focus. Limits force creativity.
It reminds me of Steve Jobs’ words:
“Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.”
