Great Success Comes at a Cost
Welcome back to Mid-Week Meditations , Lifehacker’s weekly dip in the pool of stoic wisdom and a guide to using its waters to meditate and improve your life.
The choice made this week belongs to Lucius Anne Seneca in his instructive essay, On the Brevity of Life . He invites you to watch out for unbridled ambition and endless pursuit of success:
“So, when you see a man constantly adopting formal clothes or a name that is widely known in the public, do not envy him: these attributes are bought at the cost of his life. In one year to be dated by their name, they will waste all their years. Life leaves some of them during their first battles before the difficult ascent to the pinnacle of their ambitions. Some, having overcome a thousand humiliations and achieved the highest dignity, are overcome by the pitiful thought that all their work was aimed at creating an inscription on the epitaph. “
What does it mean
When you see incredibly “successful” people in the media, Seneca says you shouldn’t be jealous. To get to where they are, they probably had to sacrifice many things in their lives – like love, family, health, virtue, or even happiness itself. Just one year in the spotlight can be worth a lifetime of simple satisfaction. In addition, not everyone who tries to climb the summit makes it to the summit. Most fail as soon as they face the first serious test. Some get to the very top, this is true, but, as Seneca says, they can understand that it all happened just like that, except for the inscription on their gravestone.
What to take from there
What do you want from your career? Your life? Do you know what is enough for you? It’s not easy to define, but you should think about it from time to time to stay on track. Your time here is the most valuable resource you have, and your actions are what will ultimately define you, so try not to waste it chasing any form of success that will do nothing for your happiness. or the happiness of people close to you. O. Remember that success means different things to different people.
You don’t have to completely avoid ambition; some are ok. But if you’re not careful, the looming specter of blind ambition – one that can never be satisfied – will take every moment of your irreplaceable time. Drive him away while you can, or one day he may look you in the eye as you lie on your deathbed and smile as he takes what’s left.
Strive to achieve more, to be better, but know that there is a difference between living your best life, finding your version of success, and striving for endless fame, fame and wealth. The former can bring you comfort and satisfaction, the latter will tire you until you become nothing more than a sentence describing what you did for a living.
You can read Seneca’s entire book On The Brevity of Life for free here .