Once, I heard a parable that has stuck with me and served me well in my personal and my professional lives. It involves a wealthy man who hires his friend, a carpenter, to build him a new home.
“Here are the plans. Here is the money,” the rich man told his friend, “please build me the best home of which you are capable.” The money, the rich man knew, was greater than what would be necessary to build the home of his dreams, guaranteeing his friend a profit for his....