Catch the Need to Impress
Or fixate on that and your whole life becomes a mess.
“If you should ever turn your will to things outside your control in order to impress someone, be sure that you have wrecked your whole purpose in life. Be content, then, to be a philosopher in all that you do, and if you wish also to be seen as one, show yourself first that you are and you will succeed.”- Epictetus
You want to be impressive. You want to walk into a room and have something about you command attention. Aura. You want the work to speak, sure, but you also want people to hear it and then hear them tell other people. To remember your name when you leave.
That hunger is nothing new. The Greeks called it ‘thumos’- the spirited part of the soul that craves recognition, that would rather die remembered than live invisible. It drove Achilles to Troy. But if you recall, it did not end well for him. You think you’re chasing glory when really you’re handing your self-worth to whoever happens to be watching.
And here’s what nobody tel…
