Optionality Is Usually Lost Quietly

Optionality is rarely destroyed in dramatic moments.

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It erodes through accumulation.

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Each decision seems small. Reasonable. Often reversible.

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Until it isn’t.

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Optionality disappears not because of one bad choice, but because of many good ones stacked without regard for exit.

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Commitments compound. Dependencies form. Constraints tighten.

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By the time optionality is noticed, it’s already gone.

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This is why people feel trapped without remembering when they agreed to be.

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They didn’t choose the outcome.

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They chose the path.