Theory of constraints and wealth creation

Years ago, I have read this book, The Goal: theory of constraints by Eliyahu Goldratt. At that time, I was at a younger age that I have just started my career in engineering practice. My focus or shall I said that my world at that time was all about climbing the corporate ladder. I was a junior engineer then, with a lot of energy and ambitious to become a highflying corporate manager. I am in the area of manufacturing with group of operators reporting to you. I still remember that I was assigned to production control section, where my daily responsibility was to ensure smooth sailing of material flowing thought the different operation to meet the commitment of delivery to the customer.

Because of the complexity of the manufacturing operation in the company I worked, balancing material flow within operations became critical when certain operation was facing some difficulty of meeting the required output. That is when I was introduced to this book, The Goal: theory of constraints, by one of my friends. Because I have a mindset of an engineer and an employee, I can only relate the concept of the theory of constraints to my work as a manufacturing engineer.

Presently, years after I last read the book, I realized another meaning of theory of constraints after relating to Brian Tracy Audio CD, The Ultimate Goal Program:

Between you and anything you want to accomplish, there is a limiting constraint that determines the speed to where you want to go. Our objective is to identify this key constraint and focus on removing and eliminating this key constraint. If we based on 80/20 rules: 80% of your limiting constraint is within yourself, only 20% is outside. You are the major limitation, the major roadblock from preventing you from reaching your goal. To remove this limiting constraint, we must look for what is right rather than who is right. Many times, when we hit a roadblock, we tend to blame on someone else. Pointing fingers to another person for your temporary failure or resistance. If we can just ask what is it in you that hold you back? If we can identify the key constraint in our own personality, habit, skill, education that hold us back.

It is so true, the limiting constraint within yourself is the most important factor you need to overcome to achieve whatever thing you need to accomplish in life. The primary obstacle of this obstacle inside you is our mental.