know yourself
It's the beginning of all wisdom.
“Death lies heavy upon one who, known exceedingly well by all, dies unknown to himself.”— Seneca
Most people I’ve met tell me they’re impressed by how self-aware and ‘put together’ I am. To them, it seems I’ve figured things out. But to be honest, I’m just good at living by the principle from a Spanish poet who wrote that, “traveler, there is no path- the path must be forged as you walk.” However, as true and liberating that statement might be, I’m tugged by an opposing set of principles that keeps me steady. The catch is that I’m in a constant feedback loop where I reflect, decide, and act on things that matter to me. Things that I like. Things I need to make my life bear meaning. Once I’ve done that, I’m free to forge and follow my path wherever it leads.
For some time now, I’ve come to the conclusion that I enjoy writing. I enjoy sleeping. I enjoy doing surgery. I enjoy being free- answering to no one. I enjoy being with my friends. And therefore, to honor those facts about myself- I do my best to make quality decisions that create fertile conditions to birth this lifestyle I’ve come to love. Everything feeds into each other. Ever decision I make pours into this pot. I’m alright missing out on everything else; I get the privilege to avoid a lot of bullshit. As Aristotle said, “knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Wisdom is the key to Eudaimonia- happiness. Life has been good so far.
The problem is, knowing yourself is…
Join 80,200 other Stoics,
P.S: Annual & Patron members get access to over 280 premium meditations + all my books with their subscription. The bundle includes, ‘The Best of Marcus Aurelius’, ‘The Tools’, with over 40,000 words of bonus content + a free copy of ‘The Stoic Manual Vol. 1’ dropping September next year. Patron members also get Lifetime Access to the publication with a one-time fee. Includes all bonuses, and all future benefits- at no extra cost. Featured,
