Own fewer obligations than your future can comfortably carry.

Obligations are taken on at your current capacity and have to be carried by a future self whose circumstances you cannot predict. Taken to the limit of today’s capacity, they leave no room for illness, downturn, or a change of heart, and the future arrives with no slack at all.

When committing to something long-term, ask whether it would still be manageable with less income, energy, or health. If not, take on less. The margin is what makes the commitment survivable.