I don’t think I have ever linked to an obituary before, but at the end of this week’s Maclean’s magazine there is one for Jean Guy Potvin. It’s a pretty inspiring tale of someone overcoming the obstacles life throws your way, but there is also a message to be learn too. Here are two relevant snippets.

On May 1, 2003, he was fixing a street sweeper, working beneath the large vehicle. Because it was a quick, simple job, he hadn’t secured the tank with a lock bar. But Jean slipped, knocking a lever, sending the tank crashing down on top of him. His friend, mechanic Harvey Jones, jumped on a forklift, which he used to lift the tank off Jean.

Jean began mentoring others with spinal cord injuries, taking them on bus rides, to the race track and to the zoo, and became a public speaker for WorkSafeBC—telling his story so others might avoid taking “shortcuts” and getting hurt.

Admittedly, in testing we are unlikely to get physically injured or killed by taking a shortcut, but someone else might. Physically, financially, productivity-ly.

What’s the difference between a shortcut and deciding to not do something? I think it has to do with laziness and the assessment of risks. Laziness should never be the motivation for an action. But analyzing the situation, weighing the pros and cons and then making a purposeful decision that looks like laziness is perfectly fine. But it also means that you accept the outcome of any of the risks that end up biting you in the butt later because you did not address them.