Find Joy in Self-Improvement
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 this week belongs to Socrates through the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. In Epictetus’ Talks (3.5), he shares a timeless quote on the importance of self-improvement:
“But what does Socrates say? “Just as one person enjoys improving his farm and another enjoys his horse, so I enjoy doing my own improvements day by day.”
What does it mean
It’s pretty simple, but that’s what makes it so great. Socrates says that while others like to improve what they own every day, he likes to improve themselves . It is worth noting that he is not saying that it is “important” to improve himself — that’s obvious — but that he “enjoys” the process.
What to take from there
In truth, we like to improve things. It is in our nature. But what we prioritize and what we decide to spend time improving on is often skewed. People invest a lot of time, energy, and resources to improve their home, car, property, or business. While there is no doubt that a good home, a decent car, and a successful career can certainly make life more comfortable, it is still important to devote yourself the time, energy, and resources you need to become who you want to be.
In addition, we should be wary of false improvements. Many of us prefer to improve on what is unrealistic – it’s virtual. Think about the hours people have spent leveling up imaginary characters, creating imaginary farms, or organizing the perfect fantasy team. Sure, there is room for these things in moderation, and there is nothing wrong with a little fun, but sometimes we let them take priority in our lives. The more time we make false improvements, the less time we have for real ones.
To find joy in cultivation, you must put it at the forefront. I suggest that each day, before doing anything else, take some time to put together a short daily self-improvement plan. It shouldn’t be hard:
- Take time to exercise.
- Think about your diet in relation to your diet.
- Plan a fun time with friends or alone.
- Take the opportunity to learn something.
- Make sure you get plenty of rest.
Do this, and you will soon find that, as Socrates put it, “the pleasure of your own improvements.” You will want to improve yourself first, and then focus on the rest.
Friends, take care of your health, maintain strong relationships, satisfy your thirst for knowledge and never stop trying to level up. One day you will not have time, and when it comes, you will regret what you did not achieve, and not your mistakes . You might as well make yourself as great as possible. After all, your body and mind are two things that you are guaranteed to get stuck with.