> ordinary pleasures like walking, owning a dog, gardening, reading easy fun novels, watching tv
While I do not disagree with such advice in general, this is exactly opposite to "Life is not about you, it's about other people. Get over yourself." All these things are decidedly about yourself. It is about making conscious trade-off to stop hustling and focus on yourself, everyone else be damned while you heal. And remember, as with every trade-off, the outcome may not necessarily be the one you're aiming for. So use your best judgement.
They're not exactly opposite, you will find that your family get really annoyed with you if you hang round them expecting them to entertain you. Getting over yourself includes doing simple normal things that productivity gurus tell us all to give up. Going for a walk, or getting a dog doesn't include everyone else being damned! My view : leave the logic behind and relax!
Well, while doing all these simple normal things you're not exactly improving family financial situation or even entertaining anyone, including the dog. Maybe their idea of normal is not aligned with yours.
Source: family of five plus cat and dog. After trying in line with the advice above for twenty years the results are... underwhelming, to say the least. I feel if more focus was extended to some parts of life, the outcome could have been at least partially more satisfying. That's why I'm calling for better judgement.
That's an interesting perspective, and of course your mileage may vary.
Who knows what the counterfactuals are - what would your life been if you had stayed at work late for 20 years? Maybe you would be rich, maybe the outcome would have been bad. The grass is always greener, and there are lots of people who will sell you the line that if only you grind harder (for them and their friends) then you will be happier. I've seen it work out exactly once - a Romanian guy I know closeted himself with servers at a FAANG for 6 years and then quit with many $$$ went home and married the high school homecoming queen (Romanian equiv there of) he had spent his adolescent years dreaming of. As far as I know they are blissfully happy and live travelling the world. Mostly though the stories are sadder - near misses financially (within weeks of cashing out and then the founders had bad news... cashed out and then financial disaster soon after... paper valuation great, no exit ever, breakdown and pink slip) followed by a realization that nothing they ever did was worth a biscuit.
While I do not disagree with such advice in general, this is exactly opposite to "Life is not about you, it's about other people. Get over yourself." All these things are decidedly about yourself. It is about making conscious trade-off to stop hustling and focus on yourself, everyone else be damned while you heal. And remember, as with every trade-off, the outcome may not necessarily be the one you're aiming for. So use your best judgement.