Monday, January 9, 2023

Daily Stoic: Clarify Your Intenetions

 Today's meditation is important and referred to across disciplines, not just Stoicism. 

Let all your effort be direct to something, let it keep that end in view. It is not activity that disturbs people, but the false conceptions of things that drive them mad.

Seneca

The quote might seem a little circular and takes some untangling. Instead you can recognize this as 2nd habit in the The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Begin with the end in mind.

We see as some people age, particularly those without children, that as we get older and leave our jobs, finding an end point or purpose is pretty important. If one has spent their entire life building a career, it is hard to leave. Likewise we see that young people without hope or and end goal in mind often flail about and rift into whatever works.

And, in America at least, make money is often pushed as the end goal. But once a reasonable amount of money is made, then what. Make more? Be an asshole to get other people's money. Or use those funds to further your education or your hobbies or see your friends.

Most of my friends and I assume that some amount of money is enough. That the purpose isn't to be rich, but fulfill some other desire.


1 comment:

  1. I like this one a lot. I have found beginning with an end in mind gets you to the end better and gets you to a better end.

    ReplyDelete

This duet with Rosanne Cash and Keb' Mo' came out 5 years ago.

This duet with Keb' Mo' , featuring Rosanne Cash, came out five years ago and rings truer than ever today.