Modern life quietly trains us to believe that we are never enough, and that nothing we have is ever enough either. Not enough success. Not enough productivity. Not enough happiness. Not enough optimization.

From morning routines to diets to careers to relationships, the cultural message is clear: if you’re not maximizing, you’re failing! Does that resonate?

But what if that belief is actually undermining your well-being?

In this episode, Kurt and Iman unpack the difference between deficiency, sufficiency, optimal, and excess, and why chasing “optimal” can leave you exhausted, anxious, and perpetually dissatisfied. Using a practical framework inspired by health science, they explore how most human needs have a “good enough” zone where life feels stable, meaningful, and sustainable.

You’ll learn why perfectionism isn’t just a personality quirk but a predictable response to fear and cultural pressure, and why self-compassion, not self-criticism, is what actually breaks the cycle.

This conversation is a permission slip to stop performing for an imaginary standard and start living like a human being again.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why “maximizing” isn’t the same as meeting your needs
• The sufficiency zone: where well-being actually lives
• How too much of a good thing can become harmful
• The role of hedonic adaptation in chronic dissatisfaction
• Why perfectionism often leads to procrastination
• Cultural forces that normalize “never enough” thinking
• Practical ways to replace perfect vs. failure with done vs. not done
• How self-compassion restores motivation and presence

If you’ve been stuck in comparison, burnout, or the feeling that life is always one step short of acceptable, this episode offers a calmer path forward.

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"Rebranding Mental Health: A Movement, Not a Label."