Being overly careful vs being very loose

There are those like me who are overly cautious (almost to a fault), and then there are those loosey-goosey types who go through life like they don't have a care in the world.

In my case, I like to play it safe and plan for the worst, which often induces obsessive compulsive tendencies like:

Feeling as though you have to live way below your means and watch your finances like a hawk, should an emergency require me to dip into my savings
Checking the door two, even three, times to make sure I locked it
Arriving to work 30 or more minutes earlier than I should, just in case of an accident or other unusual circumstance

In other words, I like to plan for the worst, but I realize this isn't necessarily how you live life to the fullest. I guess I am comfortable with the tradeoff: less fun for peace of mind.

At the other extreme are the freewheeling kind who just don't seem to stress over anything. Whereas I am proactive, these people are reactive. Their motto is, "I'll worry about it once it happens." They don't subscribe to doing things preemptively and worrying about what can happen in the future -- they're all about the now.

I'll admit that I sometimes envy people who can remain so unconcerned about everything. It's just in my nature to question things and make sure that I have all my bases covered at all times.

Like everything else in life, extremes are bad. That's why we should aim for moderation. Don't take life so seriously that you're constantly fussing over little details, but don't take it so lightly that you're left blindsided later on.

Which camp do you fall into?

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