Aldo Leopol (1887-1948) was an American writer, philosopher, naturalist, ecologist, conservationist, and environmentalist, and he once said: “Then came the gadgeteer, otherwise known as the sporting-goods dealer. He has draped the American outdoorsman with an infinity of contraptions, all offered as aids to self-reliance, hardihood, woodcraft, or marksmanship, but too often functioning as substitutes for them. Gadgets fill the pockets, they dangle from neck and belt. The overflow fills the auto-trunk and also the trailer. Each item of outdoor equipment grows lighter and often better, but the aggregate poundage becomes tonnage.”

Point #6 of the 1977 Nike manifesto puts this concept succinctly when it comes to business: “Live off the Land”

“Living of the land” does not require long hair and acreage. It is a mindset. A blend of Resourcefulness, Simplicity, and Frugality.

Van Gogh painted on cardboard when he could not afford canvas’. Serena Williams adapted her game around innumerous injuries. Mahatma Gandhi spun homemade cloth to boycott British textiles.

Think of times where you got something done without the perfect materials or tools.  How did it go?