It's greedy to chop down trees, kids.

Greed – excessive desire and pursuit, mainly of money, wealth, or power

What is ‘enough’ for you?  In other words: 

• What is enough work?
• What is enough money?
• What is enough time at work?
• What is enough time at the gym?
• What is enough time spent on Facebook?
• What is enough to eat?

The list could go on and on.

There is something about being human that makes us seek after more when we haven’t defined ‘enough’ in advance. Have you ever noticed that when you’re hungry, you grossely overestimate how much food you actually need to be full? (I hope it’s not just me!)  The problem is that the worst time to stop is in the moment – it is very difficult to be objective enough to set and adhere to limits while involved in the actual activity we are trying to stop.

I believe men are especially susceptible to not knowing when ‘enough’ is. Why? Because from a young age we learn to be real men by going after more… achieving more… working harder and longer to win. For us, if ‘enough’ has not been defined, there is something inside us that will keep pushing to see what we can get. And with a lot of men’s self esteem built on the ability to achieve, it makes sense that a man will spend 80 hours a week pouring himself into his work to feel good about himself. Or, unfortunately, using every trick in the book in an attempt to sleep with a woman on the first date.

Dating

What is ‘enough’ in dating?  Here are some key questions:

• What is enough time to know someone before you ask them out?
• What is enough time before you are officially ‘together?’
• What is enough time to spend together?
• What is enough in terms of how much you reveal about youself in the beginning of a relationship?
• What is enough time to know if you love someone?
• What is enough in terms of how far to go physically with someone you are dating?

What are the answers?  I don’t know.  However, I would say that two things are important in figuring out ‘enough’ in a dating relationship:

1. Intentional Communication - honest, deliberate conversations before and during a dating relationship that sets healthy emotional, physical, and time boundaries is key.  Also important is a deep desire and conviction to adhere to these boundaries despite pressure in the moment to ‘get more.’
2. Not Letting Feelings Decide - our feelings are a bad proxy for ’enough’