Maintaining a healthy balance between personal identity and passion is crucial. Becoming overly invested in a mission or work can lead to negative consequences, affecting mental health. It is important to avoid tying self-worth solely to work or a specific goal, as this can result in anxiety and fear for the future. Seeking a broader perspective that includes roles as a father, brother, and son is essential for overall well-being and stability.
People finding themselves in situations that are worse than they thought and deciding to really go with it.
- Prologue: A Boston woman takes her dog for a walk and suddenly finds herself in a terrible situation she never anticipated. The strange thing is, it helps her. (9 minutes)
- Act One: Two college friends try to stop Donald Trump’s primary season momentum by convincing New Hampshire voters to vote against everything they care about. Producer Zoe Chace follows along. (22 minutes)
- Act Two: When producer Ike Sriskandarajah tries to sleep-train his baby, a neighbor decides to call the police. Later, Ike thinks, "I can work with that." (9 minutes)
- Act Three: A story by producer Boen Wang about how to get through a summer of bad days. (9 minutes)
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org