To Have or to Be?

Handling Change: "Find the Smallest Dose that Keeps You Sane"

excellence, actually, 10 September 2026.

One of the hosts—Brad Stahlberg or Steve Magnus—cites Eric Fromm's book to explain two life orientations: a "being" orientation (your values, who you are at your core) versus a "having" orientation (possessions, achievements, status). The speaker argues that over-identifying with what we have makes us fragile to change, because those things can be taken away, whereas the being orientation remains stable. The book is used to frame the broader discussion of identity resilience during life transitions.

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