The older I get, the more I understand why people disappear into gardening, baking, reading, and long walks. Not because life got boring. Because peace became valuable.
A mistake that cost me 5 years: Thinking preparation was progress. Reading every book. Taking every course. Planning every detail. Meanwhile, someone dumber than me started badly and figured it out. Preparation feels productive but it's often just fear dressed up as strategy. You learn to swim by getting in the water, not by studying water.