People lean hardest on the ones who never say no. The Cost of Being Useful is a meditation on how competence becomes someone else’s convenience and why your strength must be guarded with intention.

On the jobsite, the biggest threat isn’t weather or schedule it’s the unassigned scope. In life, it’s the same. When we take on work that isn’t ours, out of loyalty or love, our scope creeps until we’re carrying everything. Knowing your scope isn’t selfish it’s how peace is built.

In consulting, the urge to step in and fix things is strong, but true growth only comes when you let others build their own skills. The best consultants remain present and patient, guiding without doing and transformation happens in the space between.