Since the start of the year, I’ve begun each day with The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. Everyday, a new quote from a Stoic philosopher along with Holiday’s reflection on it. All are handpicked, one for each day of the year.
Today’s was about clarifying our intentions.
Let all your efforts be directed to something, let it keep that end in view. It’s not activity that disturbs people, but false conceptions of things that drive them mad.
Seneca, on Tranquility of Mind, 12.5
Call it what you want. Purpose, calling, advocacy… These things are difficult to find. Or maybe they’re not meant to be found but created. But one thing’s for certain, intention creates direction. And direction forms meaning.
Seneca says it best. It’s not our “activity” or efforts that bring us anxiety but the belief or the truth that they don’t lead us to our goals.
But the problem is, committing to something long term is scary. How do we know when we’re on the right track? “Is this the best version of my life I’m supposed to live,” we might ask ourselves. To that, I provide no answer. For now, I defer to the controversial Jordan Peterson for some advice: Take Aim, Even Badly.
Also published on Medium.