You went to school. You worked hard. You sacrificed. You got really good at what you do. That's what they pay you for right? That's why they recruited you. That's why they put you in charge. You earned it.
And yet…despite this success, this track record, this leverage you have, your life is so backwards.
In one of his letters, Seneca tells a story about Alexander the Great, who was on the verge of conquering another distant land. The rulers of that country came to him and offered him some of their territory if he ceased his attack. Alexander, Seneca tells us, quietly corrected them, saying that "he hadn't come to Asia with the intention of accepting whatever they cared to give him, but of letting them keep whatever he chose to leave them."
So it ought to go for our time and priorities, Seneca continued. "Philosophy, likewise, tells all other occupations: 'It's not my intention to accept whatever time is left over from you; you shall have, instead, what I reject.'"
Philosophy should not get the leftovers! (Or, as we said in a Daily Dad email about this same idea, neither should your family!) It should not be relegated to the scraps of time between other obligations. It is not some frivolous hobby—it's the key to everything we're trying to do. It's a compass, a guiding light, it's what we owe our ultimate devotion.
So as you look at your day, as you look at your life, make sure that you are prioritizing properly. Make sure that you are giving your best, most productive hours to the important things.
Because you're not really successful if your "success" doesn't allow you to do that. You don't really have leverage if you have to give the best of yourself away to things that don't matter. You're not really in charge if you can't say:
My work on myself comes first. You shall get what's left over.
P.S. As a way to help you jumpstart that work on yourself each morning, to ensure you're giving the best of yourself to things that do matter, and to remind you of these important Stoic values every day, we created The Daily Stoic Page-A-Day Desk Calendar. Each page—one for every day of the year—includes a quote from Stoics like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus that will guide you to not only prioritize your time, but to meet all of life's challenges with gratitude, curiosity, and inspiration.
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