My colleague recently had a new fence built around her backyard. Nothing elaborate—just a clean, well-structured barrier to mark the space and offer some privacy. Before that, her yard had a low, half-hearted kind of boundary. It felt open, shared with the neighbors. Free, in a way. So naturally, she was a little hesitant. Would this new fence make her feel boxed in? Would it take away the openness she’d grown used to?

Here’s the thing: after the fence went up, something shifted.

She told me, “It feels bigger now. I can relax out there. I’m not thinking about who’s watching or what I’m supposed to share with the world. It’s mine.”

That stuck with me. Because as an entrepreneur and a leader, I’ve felt that tension too—the worry that adding structure, setting boundaries, or putting constraints around my time or creativity will somehow limit what I’m capable of. That it’ll kill spontaneity or put me “in a box.” And is that always such a bad thing?

I don’t think so. Stay with me her...