in regard to reaching out into the infinite

Imagine starting a business or running a political campaign or looking for love.

So you reach out . . . for customers or supporters or The One.

Well, 8 billion is essentially infinite.

But let’s be real . . . the relevant domain is smaller than that.

A business could theoretically ultimately have in mind, say, three or four billion. My campaign to get elected to Congress is limited to a district containing only 400,000 potential voters. The relevant population of actually potential Ones (per age, sex, locale, inclinations) is even smaller than that.

The problem is that there is a feeling of unboundedness. The number might be only 400,000 (voters) or even just 50,000 (potential Ones), but it feels almost infinite. That feeling could drive you almost crazy.