Welcome to the Daily Quote, the podcast designed to kickstart your day in a positive way. I'm your host, Andrew McGivern, and this episode is brought to you by the Great News podcast. Because great news should be heard, and the link is right here in the show notes.
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Today’s quote is from Seneca… a Roman philosopher and statesman who lived nearly 2,000 years ago. One of the great figures of Stoicism, he wrote extensively about how to live a meaningful life with greater wisdom, self-control and contentment.
Seneca once said…
“No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have.”
The quote is from Moral Letters to Lucilius (Letters 123.3). This version is a shortened form; the fuller translation adds:
“…and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have.”
I think the point here is that there is no way you can have everything. No matter how successful you are. No matter how wealthy or powerful you become, you will always want more.
And some things will be outside your grasp.Instead of asking yourself how you can get everything you want, you might want to ask if you actually need everything you want?
Seneca isn’t saying you shouldn’t have ambition or set goals. You can still build a business and improve yourself and move towards a better future. The idea here is not to make your happiness tied to achieving them.
You can change the equation by appreciating what you already have and putting it to good use. Maybe the journey to having enough isn’t in acquiring more, but the learning to recognize that you already have enough.
In today’s world with constant advertising showing us what we need. A better car, house, career, vacations, smart phones and lifestyles. We see influencers showing off how great their lives are and we want to have a life like that with the things that they have. The gap between what we have and what we are told we should have is endless.
So here’s the question:
What would change in your life if, for one day, you stopped focusing on what you're missing and deliberately appreciated what you already have?
Remember, you don’t have to stop wanting more… just don’t let wanting more prevent you from appreciating what you already have.
That’s going to do it for today. I’m Andrew McGivern signing off for now, but I’ll be back… tomorrow! Same pod time, same pod station with another Daily Quote.
