Caring too much about the wrong things.

Caring too much about the wrong things.

Being in the woods alone tops playing music on the list of David's Happy Places. There my thoughts quiet down, I breathe better, and I feel oneness with something bigger than me. Every week I write down that I will spend time in the woods that week. Every week it never happens.  

I come from a long line of people who care about the quality of their work. Completed correctly, the first time, and without exception - that's how they explained it to me.  

  • That mindset makes me good at my jobs - I am a perfectionist.  

  • That mindset makes me an anxious wreck at my jobs, too - I am a perfectionist. And,

  • That mindset keeps me from doing the other work of self-care - because I am a...

Caring too much about one thing takes you away from doing the other things that matter. Too much focus on a job that pays can mean too little effort on your health, mind, and spirit.  

"But, David, I need to do a good job because I need the money," says the perfectionist in me. 

"But what good is the money if you are living a life alone, unhappy, and unhealthy? Was it worth it?"

What is self-optimization?

What is self-optimization?

Returning to roots.

Returning to roots.