“Work will never love you back”

Thank you for sharing this. I am in my mid 50's and have done well in my software career, mostly as a solo artist, but I have never really achieved a good work-life balance (I have my wife to thank for any evidence to the contrary). I tend to ride my own hero-sh*thead roller coaster - I'm only as good as my last month of work. If I've done well I use it as motivation to double down. If I've sucked, I panic and double down.

I think some of the reason for this is because I succumb to some of what makes me a better software dev: ADD/OCD. I prioritize my life like I clear my plate: one item at a time. But work is a never ending task, so somehow I never get to priority number 2.

I will try to internalize the idea of work being a rubber ball - I hope that image will stick with me for those times I need to remember to let that ball drop.