💡 Pick Your Poison (Issue 148)
Nothing is perfect
Seeking perfection is a fool’s errand.
The ideal does not exist in reality. Yet, people can’t stop trying to find it.
When I was a boy, I remember daydreaming about creating the perfect life, pursuing the best career, and finding my ideal home. I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy at that age, which didn’t help. My mind was full of wild possibilities.
I would pursue an engineering degree.
I would become an astronaut.
I would live in the Swiss Alps in a fabulous mountain chalet.
I would marry an amazing woman and raise a wonderful family (okay, that part actually came true).
As I grew older and explored the world, I realized that this vision of perfection did not exist. It never would. It never could. Reality isn’t like that!
There is no perfect life.
There is no perfect job.
There is no perfect soulmate.
There is no perfect place to live.
Case in point, Juneau, Alaska. I just spent almost six weeks there visiting my children. We’ve traveled there multiple times a year for the past few years. I am in love with the place! I’ve shared tons of photos in my Substack Notes, so you may have seen some of the beautiful spots we explored during our adventures (e.g., mountain cabins, lakes, waterfalls, forests, beaches).
It has so many of the attributes I desire:
Nature all around. Mountains, ocean, dense forests, wildlife, glaciers, and wild berries everywhere.
There are very few people (compared to California). We hiked for over four hours to a mountaintop one day and didn’t encounter a single soul!
Juneau has temperate weather (compared to where I’ve lived before in Nebraska, Texas, and California).
The people are independent, rugged, outdoorsy, friendly, supportive, artistic, and more liberal than where I currently live.
It sure would be nice to live somewhere that doesn’t have hurricanes, tornadoes, or forest fires. I’m so sick of all of that…
Yet, this alert popped up on my phone while we were there. The flood ended up being less destructive than the one in 2023, but it was still bad.
See? As great as Juneau seems to me, it is still far from perfect (it has other issues, too). But I’m older and wiser now, so I know perfection does not exist. I’m okay with flaws as long as they aren’t deal breakers for things that matter most to me.
You've gotta pick your poison.
Decide what is most essential for you, and what you are willing to live with or without. Make peace with it and move on.
There is no perfect. There is only what’s good enough for you, whether that’s a new place to live, a job, or a life partner.
Schedule a complimentary call with me and let’s discuss a challenging life choice you might be facing!
I’m Larry Cornett, Ph.D., an Empowerment Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become more invincible, and create better opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!
📕 Check out my Invincible Daily Journals. I have one specifically for Summer!
Love it. Pick your poison, indeed!
I ADORE California and thought I would never leave … until my son picked Seattle and opened my eyes on a new place, unlike all the other places I had lived in the US and overseas. It’s my kind of poison! I am intrigued by Alaska … time to visit there!