How far are y'all going?

"How far are y'all going?" Ruby asked us with a sigh.
"We're going all the way 'til the wheels fall off and burn."
—Bob Dylan, Brownsville Girl

The Foreword really sets the pace for what The Elements of Lifestyle is really about — finding your enough. It's what works for me; I'm writing from experience, not from academic research. This was the book I had to get out. It wasn't written for the market, for the reader — it was written to save me from my Resistance. Once I was done, I finished with a sigh of relief.

Excerpts from the Foreword:

Most people struggle with the same things — self-image, career, relationships, finances. There are simple solutions to each of these areas, yet they are complicated. Everything is intertwined, and you have to find a certain equilibrium for yourself.

You have to be joyous and content with yourself, comfortable in your skin, or else you’ll never find joy. You have to question everything and be tough on yourself, but only up to a certain point. It’s the magic of enough. If you go beyond your enough, you risk falling off the cliff, destroying everything you’ve built.

You never win at life, you only get to enjoy it, and then you die. It’s made out of millions of little things, not just a few big ones. Don’t sacrifice your happiness for some distant goal, nor sacrifice your future happiness for short-term instant-gratification. It’s a gift that you get to experience life and find out your joy, happiness, and enough.

Don’t ever fear of reinventing yourself. Don’t stay somebody just because that’s what others expect. People hate change, and people hate when others change, especially if it’s for the better. Don’t expect sympathy and support.

Find joy in pursuing the best version of yourself every day, ignoring that most of the world is miserable because they don’t want to choose this path.